SAN JOSE — The families of two men fatally shot in downtown San Jose earlier this month are seeking support and paying tribute to the cousins who lost their lives amid a surge in nightlife timed with the Super Bowl, which was preparing to kick off just a few hours and miles away.
The shooting was reported around 2:20 a.m. in the in the 100 block of Paseo de San Antonio, near South Third Street, according to the San Jose Police Department. Patrol and special operations officers, working in response to increased crowds and visitors related to Super Bowl 60 being held later in the day in Santa Clara, arrived to find two men with gunshot wounds.
They died at the scene, and have been identified by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office as San Jose residents Raymond Patrick Aguirre, 29, and Nickolas “Niko” Amador Banuelos, 37.
Family members of the shooting victims have since established GoFundMe pages seeking financial help to cover funeral and other expenses, including to support Amador Banuelos’ young daughter.
“Raymond was a kind, sweet, protective and loving son, brother, nephew, grandson, cousin and friend. He touched a lot of hearts and became family to a lot of his friends,” Aguirre’s parents wrote in their fundraising page. “He loved taking his dogs up to Sprig Lake one of his favorite places to go and just feel at peace.”
In a fundraising page honoring Amador Banuelos, a family member wrote, “Niko was a loving father, brother, cousin, son and was the light and laughter of our family. He always had an encouraging word for everyone he met. He was a best friend to all. He loved his family and his daughter was the world to him. We had to tell her that her daddy went to heaven.”
Police said Monday that an arrest has been made in connection with the shooting but declined to release additional information, citing the ongoing investigation. To date, they have not detailed the lead-up to the shooting other than stating it was preceded by an altercation and was being treated as “an isolated incident.” The deaths marked the city’s second and third homicides of the year investigated by San Jose police.
The Feb. 8 shooting was part of a spate of gunfire in busy areas downtown that day. After the Super Bowl was over and toward the end of the night, a shooting broke out near North Market Street and West Santa Clara Street and wounded five people. No arrests have been announced from that investigation.
Anyone with information for investigators can contact the SJPD homicide unit at 408-277-5283 or email Detective Sgt. Julien Taylor at 4257@sanjoseca.gov, Detective Catherine Van Brande at 4542@sanjoseca.gov, or Detective Amanda Estantino at 4339@sanjoseca.gov. Tips can also be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org.
To visit the online fundraiser, go to gofund.me/2702afabc.
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