CA - Stabbing Spree at Grace Baptist Church, San Jose, 22 Nov 2020

[Dallas Volunteer]

San Jose: Police respond to fatal stabbing spree

Shortly after 8:45 p.m., police posted to social media about an incident under investigation at Grace Baptist Church, 484 East San Fernando St.

Police called it an active scene, initially declining to share further details before saying that multiple victims were hurt, with some suffering from life-threatening injuries.

Shortly before 10 p.m., San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo initially posted to social media, saying: “Our hearts go out to the families of the two community members who have succumbed to stabbing wounds in the attack at Grace Baptist Church downtown tonight.”

Police confirmed the deaths moments after and said no arrest had been made, adding: “For clarification, no church services were being conducted at the time of the stabbing. Unhoused individuals were brought into the church to get them out of the cold.”

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

Suspect arrested after 2 killed, 3 wounded in stabbing spree at San Jose church

A suspect has been arrested after two people died in a stabbing at Grace Baptist Church in San Jose on Sunday night, police said.

A man died at the scene and a woman was transported to a hospital where she died. Three other adult male victims were transported to hospitals and are in serious but stable condition.

Police described the suspect as an adult male, but have not released his identity.

 

[Marg from Oz]

So many mentally unstable people walking amongst us. Are these homeless people being assisted by the church community? Do they need metal detectors on church doors now? MOO

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

San Jose church stabbing: Suspect was on supervised release

The man arrested on suspicion of stabbing five people — killing two — at the church shelter where he took respite from frigid nights in downtown San Jose had his jail release revoked, for a pending domestic-violence charge, at the time of the violent melee that left the neighborhood shouldering heartbreaking loss.

Fernando Jesus Lopez, 32, was freed following his June 29 arraignment, but then his supervised release was pulled Aug. 31 after he did not show up for a mandatory court hearing, according to court records. Since then, people who saw him around the neighborhood, and at the shelter operated on the Grace Baptist Church property, didn’t know him to be combative and described him as upbeat not long before the stabbing.

About two weeks before, he was featured on a KTVU segment about emergency weather shelters in which he expressed his gratitude for having a place to go to escape frigid temperatures.

Lopez was “friendly and helpful,” said Shaunn Cartwright, a homeless-outreach worker who is also involved in the church’s shelter community. “That’s why it makes it even more shocking.”

Lopez’s criminal history in Santa Clara county indicates struggles with drug use, and multiple domestic-violence arrests. His most serious charge in the county ended with a 2011 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, for which he was given a 2-year prison sentence.

After nine years, he reappeared in the county court system in June, after he was arrested on his third misdemeanor domestic-violence charge, and he was given supervised release by Judge Drew Takaichi that was later revoked.

Some people who knew Lopez feared that Sunday’s violence might have been fueled by him using meth again. Police are exploring that as a potential factor in the stabbings.

 

[Munrospeaks]

I live in San Jose near this and it’s sad because the homeless here are so mentally ill. We claim to be “helping” but what we really do is put them in jail a few days then release them. That’s it. I worked for a volunteer organization where I was able to interview a bunch of homeless and they would tell me the DAYS police scheduled them to be put in jail. It’s was like an actual system out here. It’s BAD.

 

[Dallas Volunteer]

UPDATE: Police Detail San Jose Church Stabbing Suspect's Violent Criminal History, Repeat Deportations

Police in San Jose on Wednesday identified the suspect arrested by San Jose police in the fatal weekend stabbing at Grace Baptist Church as a man with a long, violent criminal history who had been deported three times.

San Jose authorities including the mayor also cited several systemic failures that led to the suspect being on the streets, despite repeated offenses and arrests.
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