Fatal Shooting Is San Jose's 26th Murder Of 2011

SAN JOSE (CBS/AP) -- San Jose's 26th homicide victim this year has been identified as a 24-year-old local resident.

Police say Hector Manuel Garcia was gunned down around 2:40 a.m. Saturday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting happened in the 400 block of Nerdy Avenue in South San Jose. Police responded after receiving 911 calls at 2:40 a.m. that a person had been shot outside in front of a house.

Investigators have not identified any suspects or a possible motive.  The suspects fled the scene prior to officers arriving and remain at large.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that San Jose is on track to have more than 50 homicides this year after just 20 all of last year. The homicide rate has ranged from 20 to 33 since 1998.

Police spokesman Jose Garcia says it's not clear what's causing the spike. But he noted that there have been more incidents with multiple victims.

Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact Detective Sergeant Merlin Newton or Detective Juan Vallejo of the San Jose Police Department's homicide unit at (408) 277-5283. Persons wishing to remain anonymous may call the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at (408) 947-STOP (7867).

Meantime, community leaders are calling for police reforms, as the city's homicide rate is on track to be the highest since the 1980s.

At a meeting earlier this week, the community group, People Acting in Community Together, called on police to hire neighborhood liaisons and secure multicultural training for officers so residents feel more comfortable reporting crimes.

Police officials say the city is still among the safest in the area.

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