Investigators said the shooting happened outside a business at a busy shopping center Tuesday morning.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A man confronted his ex-girlfriend outside her workplace at a West San Jose shopping center Tuesday and fatally shot her before killing himself, police said, outlining a murder-suicide that unfolded in a parking lot as businesses opened for the day.
Authorities said the man was 43-year-old Edgard Altamirano and the woman was 24. Police said the pair previously dated and that the relationship ended several months ago. Investigators said the weapon recovered at the scene was legally registered to Altamirano, and they said the motive and precise circumstances behind the confrontation remain under investigation.
Police were dispatched at about 11:38 a.m. to the 500 block of El Paseo de Saratoga after reports of a shooting near the Westgate-area retail corridor. Officers arriving at the parking lot found an adult man and adult woman on the ground, each with at least one gunshot wound, police said. Emergency medical personnel pronounced both dead at the scene, and officers expanded the perimeter as detectives began treating the area as a homicide investigation.
San Jose police later said the gunfire occurred in front of a European Wax Center, along a row of storefronts where workers and customers typically move between businesses and parked cars. Sgt. Jorge Garibay said detectives believe Altamirano came to the location and confronted the woman outside her job. Garibay said Altamirano shot the woman multiple times and then turned the firearm on himself. Investigators recovered the gun and began standard forensic testing and evidence collection, including documenting the scene and canvassing for video.
Police said early findings did not show prior calls for service involving the two people. Garibay said investigators found no earlier police contacts tied to domestic violence, intimate partner violence, or disturbances between the pair. Police also said Altamirano did not appear to have a documented criminal history based on the initial records search, though detectives continued reviewing databases and gathering background information as part of the investigation.
The shooting triggered a heavy police presence in a shopping center environment that includes restaurants, retailers, and entertainment. Officers closed portions of the parking lot and rerouted vehicles while homicide investigators worked. The closures lasted for hours, and detectives used the time to interview potential witnesses, locate surveillance cameras, and collect physical evidence that could help clarify how the confrontation began and how quickly it escalated.
Authorities have not released the woman’s name, and police did not say whether she had previously reported concerns or sought legal protection. Detectives said they are still trying to establish details such as when Altamirano arrived, whether he waited for the woman, and what was said before the shooting. Police also have not disclosed the number of shots fired or whether there were witnesses who saw the moment the gun was raised, noting that the investigation is continuing and that some details will depend on interviews and forensic results.
In the hours after the shooting, the scene remained tense but controlled as investigators worked across the storefronts and lanes of parked cars. Some people in nearby businesses watched from a distance as officers moved in and out of taped-off sections of the lot. Others left the area on foot, guided around the closures by police and shopping center staff. Investigators focused on reconstructing a minute-by-minute timeline, including any movements caught on nearby cameras.
Police said the deaths marked San Jose’s fourth homicide of 2026. Detectives said they will keep working with the medical examiner’s office and will continue gathering evidence, including possible digital records, to better understand the relationship history and what led up to the confrontation at the woman’s workplace. Officials said additional updates will come as information is confirmed and released through the investigation.
Author note: Last updated February 27, 2026.