Santa Clara shooting, house fire deemed murder-suicide involving estranged brothers, police say
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner has released the names of the two victims in the shooting and house fire that happened last Friday.
The medical examiner says that 52-year-old Mark Heflin of Santa Clara died from multiple gunshot wounds.
They are still working to determine the cause of death for shooting suspect, 49-year-old Matthew Heflin -- Mark Heflin's brother and a resident of Bloomington, Indiana.
Authorities say this was a targeted murder-suicide. The brothers were said to have been estranged for at least three years.
RELATED: Body found inside Santa Clara home that caught fire minutes after deadly shooting, police say
"To his wife, his children, and every loved one grieving right now, Santa Clara mourns with you. A husband is gone. A father is gone. And no words from any of us can fill that absence," Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor said.
During a press conference on Thursday, Police Chief Cory Morgan gave an investigation update and shared more details on what happened leading up to the deadly shooting and fire.
WATCH: Santa Clara police detail investigation into murder-suicide of estranged brother in shooting, fire
Morgan revealed that Matthew Heflin had traveled from Bloomington, Indiana in a rental vehicle loaded with multiple firearms and ammunition and arrived in the San Jose area around April 14. He had told a friend he was traveling to Colorado.
Police are still investigating where Matthew Heflin had been staying during that time, but say he had rented the property next door to Mark Heflin's home on the 600 block of Enright Avenue in Santa Clara three days before the incident. Mark Heflin and his family were unaware that Matthew was staying there.
On the day of the incident on May 8, police say that Mark Heflin was retrieving something from his vehicle when he was approached by Matthew Heflin. After a brief exchange of words, the suspect allegedly fired multiple rounds at the victim.
After the shooting, police say Matthew Heflin ran to the side of the rental and fired more rounds before retreating into the rental property, where he set a rear bedroom on fire.
Police say at least 12 shell casings were recovered at the front of the home. One firearm was found next to the body of Matthew Heflin and at least three others at the crime scene.
Authorities responded to the scene around 12:30 p.m., where Mark Heflin was found fatally shot outdoors. Minutes later, the nearby house caught fire, prompting a large emergency response.
Authorities later confirmed a second body was found inside the burned home. Santa Clara police used drones to locate the body in the back of the burned house. But it was only safe for officials to approach the body on Saturday morning.
"Inside the burned residence, investigators recovered the suspect's passport, ammunition, manufactured fire logs, approximately $95,000 in U.S. currency and four pistols," Morgan said.
Surveillance video viewed by our ABC7 Eyewitness News team from across the street shows two men talking in a driveway around 12:30 p.m. Friday. One man then pulls out a gun and shoots the other, who falls to the ground. The victim is shot at least 10 more times before the suspect runs away.
RELATED: Surveillance video shows fatal shooting minutes before Santa Clara house fire where body was found
Mark Heflin leaves behind his wife and his daughter. The parents of the Heflin brothers are said to both be still alive and living in Indiana.
"Detectives have concluded that this was a targeted homicide, followed by suicide involving two adult brothers. Although investigators have reconstructed the major events of this incident with substantial confidence, the detectives continue working to fully understand the circumstances and motivations that led to this tragedy," Morgan said.
Santa Clara police are still investigating the motive behind the incident and are cooperating with authorities in Indiana.
Stay with ABC7 News for the latest details on this developing story.
