Santa Clara neighborhood shaken after deadly shooting and house fire; second body found

Residents in a quiet Santa Clara neighborhood are searching for answers after a deadly shooting and suspicious house fire rattled the community Friday afternoon.

Police locked down Enright Avenue and nearby streets after reports of gunfire around midday. Investigators said one man shot and killed another man in front of a home on the 600 block of Enright Avenue. Minutes later, a house next door caught fire and became fully engulfed in flames.

Authorities believed someone intentionally set the fire shortly after the shooting.

By Saturday, Santa Clara police and fire investigators were still processing evidence at the burned home while neighbors tried to make sense of what happened.

Crime scene investigators spent hours photographing the scene, taking measurements and collecting evidence from the charred remains of the house at 671 Enright Ave.  

"It was quite a sight. It was pretty intense," said neighbor Cris Martinez.

Martinez, who lives a few doors away, said he heard multiple gunshots before calling 911.

"At 12:21 PM, it was nine shots," Martinez said. "I called 911. And then within five minutes, the police were here. So by 12:27, the police started showing up, had their weapons drawn. And about that same time, the house caught fire."

Martinez and his family sheltered in place as police flooded the neighborhood. After firefighters extinguished the flames, SWAT team members searched the area for a possible gunman.

Neighbors described a frightening afternoon in what many consider a peaceful neighborhood filled with young families.

"It's horrible. It's scary. It's really scary," said neighbor Virginia Rogers. "We've got a lot of new, young families coming in. They're freaked out. We live right in Silicon Valley, and this neighborhood has never seen anything like this."

Police kept the neighborhood under lockdown for much of Friday afternoon. As of Saturday evening, investigators still had not said whether a suspect had been located.

Late Saturday afternoon, authorities removed a body from the burned-down house. Officials have not confirmed the identity of that person or whether the remains are connected to the shooting.

Santa Clara police released a statement on Saturday night, "SCPD Detectives have continued to investigate this case, using all available resources, and believe this was a targeted attack with no further threat to public safety."

Police have not released a motive or publicly identified the shooting victim. Neighbors believe the victim was shot in his own driveway, next door to where the fire occurred.

"They're very pleasant, very friendly, very nice.  Everybody knew him in the neighborhood.  They walk in and out of this street every night. They walk their dog," Rogers said of the victim, his wife and daughter.

Neighbors also said the burned home had been operating as an Airbnb short-term rental. It remains unclear whether the suspected gunman had been staying there.

"It is an Airbnb, $575 a night," Rogers said. "They've rented it, I Iooked it up on the website, for two weeks, I know at least from May 1st."

Despite the fear and uncertainty, residents said they are trying to support one another as the investigation continues.

"I hope and I pray that this brings [this neighborhood] closer as opposed to tears us apart," said Martinez

Santa Clara police have released few details about the case and have not said whether the victim and shooter knew each other. The investigation remains ongoing.