Detectives said the gun was legally registered to the man and the motive remains under investigation.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A 43-year-old man shot and killed his former girlfriend outside her workplace at a West San Jose shopping center and then turned the gun on himself, police said, describing the Tuesday late-morning violence as an isolated murder-suicide.
Investigators said the woman was 24 and that the two had been in a romantic relationship that ended months ago. The shooting happened in a busy retail area near shops and restaurants, prompting a large police response and hours of closures as homicide detectives processed evidence. Authorities said they are still working to pin down the motive and the events leading up to the confrontation.
Officers were called at about 11:38 a.m. Tuesday to the 500 block of El Paseo de Saratoga after reports of a shooting in the parking lot, police said. When they arrived, they found an adult man and an adult woman on the ground, each suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Medics pronounced both dead at the scene. The crime scene was in front of a European Wax Center, and detectives later said the woman worked in that area.
Police identified the man as Edgard Altamirano, 43. The woman’s name was not released. Sgt. Jorge Garibay said investigators believe Altamirano arrived at the shopping center and confronted the woman outside her job. During the confrontation, Garibay said, Altamirano shot her multiple times before firing the weapon at himself, killing them both. A firearm was recovered at the scene, and police said the gun was legally registered to Altamirano.
Investigators said they did not find signs of earlier police calls connected to the pair. “Right now, our indication is we had no prior police contacts relating to any kind of domestic violence or intimate partner violence or disturbances between these two individuals,” Garibay said during a police update. Police also said Altamirano had no documented criminal history that investigators could locate as they began reviewing records and interviewing potential witnesses.
The shooting unfolded in a shopping center corridor that includes national retailers and entertainment venues, an area that draws steady daytime traffic. Police closed parts of the parking lot for several hours while detectives photographed the scene, collected physical evidence, and mapped the positions where the victims were found. Investigators also worked to identify surveillance cameras in the area and to determine what footage might show about the moments before the shots were fired.
Authorities have not said whether the woman had sought a restraining order or reported threats before the shooting, and they said the exact motive remains unknown. Detectives are also working to confirm how the two arrived at the location and whether Altamirano had been waiting for the woman or followed her there. Police have not described any reported argument inside a business, and they have not released details about how many shots were fired or how long the encounter lasted.
Police described the incident as isolated and said there was no continuing threat to the public, but the violence rattled workers and shoppers in the area. Employees at nearby businesses watched investigators move through the lot and along the storefronts, while patrol officers redirected traffic away from sections of the shopping center. Some businesses remained open as others adjusted operations around police tape and blocked drive lanes.
The case was San Jose’s fourth homicide of 2026, police said. Detectives said they will continue to examine digital evidence, including possible phone and messaging records, and to interview anyone who saw the shooting or the moments leading up to it. Investigators also planned to complete standard forensic work on the firearm and to coordinate with the medical examiner on autopsy results that could clarify the sequence of injuries.
Police asked anyone with information to contact the department’s homicide unit as the investigation continues, and they said further details will be released when they are confirmed. For now, authorities said they are focused on reconstructing the timeline, identifying witnesses, and understanding what led to the confrontation outside the woman’s workplace.
Author note: Last updated February 27, 2026.