Three masked suspects shot and killed Tony Diaz Velasco, a 69-year-old retired Gilroy man in his bedroom Saturday morning, and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department is still piecing together what might have led to the area’s first homicide in 2012.
Sheriff’s deputies responded about 8:45 a.m. to a 9-1-1 call of gunshots at a home in the 2700 block of Leavesley Road, about three miles east of Gilroy’s city limits. When they arrived they discovered Velasco dead from multiple gunshot wounds, Sgt. Jose Cardoza said.
Investigators first believed two at-large suspects were responsible for the shooting, but following additional interviews with witnesses inside the home, the Sheriff’s department now believes there were three assailants.
The suspects fled the scene on foot prior to law enforcement’s arrival, Cardoza said. He said the department was working on sketches of the suspects, who are described as wearing dark clothing, including black ski masks, and were armed with an unknown type of handgun.
Cardoza said the department has “very limited information” regarding the suspects’ identities, and investigators haven’t determined a motive.
In a Monday press release, the Sheriff’s department said it doesn’t believe anything was stolen from Velasco or the residence at the time of the shooting.
“It does not appear to be a home invasion type of homicide,” Cardoza said.
When asked if the suspects may have been known to the victim, Cardoza said, “It’s unclear.” Cardoza also wouldn’t comment on whether the shooting was drug- or gang-related.
Unable to identify even a single suspect, investigators don’t have much to go on.
“They haven’t even identified these suspects. That’s the unfortunate thing about this,” Cardoza said. “That we’re not even able to pinpoint a suspect (is frustrating). There’s very little info to go by right now.”
He added, “We can’t even confirm the two main things – motive and a suspect – at this time.”
The yellow single-story house sits roughly 30 feet from the street behind a long, white, wrought iron fence fitted with a “No Trespassing” sign. The home has a large side yard – complete with several, rusted-out old vehicles – and several palm trees leading up to the front door. It sits on a six-acre lot and is for sale for $750,000 with its status listed as “pending” on real estate website Zillow.com.
There are several other smaller dwellings on the property behind the main home where the homicide occurred.
On Sunday, about 15 cars were parked in front of the home, though that number dwindled to just four by Monday. Other than a dog barking and poking its head through the fence, no one appeared to be home Monday.
One neighbor, who didn’t give his name, said he had spoken to the victim before, but didn’t know the man’s name.
When asked if he knew how many people lived in the home, the man threw up his hands, saying, “I don’t know anything about his business.”
Another neighbor, who wasn’t home during the shooting, said he knows of a “large family” who lives on the property, but he couldn’t say how many people total. He said there used to be as many as 15 cars parked along the road in front of the home, but there hadn’t been that many for about six months.
“It was a mess,” he said.
He said he never knew of any problems prior to Saturday’s shooting.
“I don’t want to pay attention to them. I just drive by,” he said. “It’s fairly peaceful out here. People leave each other alone.”
In the hours following the shooting Saturday, deputies with canine units searched the rural, open space around the home, including several nearby greenhouses. Sheriff’s deputies blocked entrance to Leavesley Road where it becomes Ferguson Road well into Saturday evening, though officers eventually cleared the scene by Sunday morning.
Around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, animal control officials began bringing several Chihuahuas and pit bull puppies from the house where the shooting took place.
There were dozens of Sheriff’s officers and vehicles parked along the street, and crime scene investigators drove up to the scene about 3 p.m. Saturday.
Officials from the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office arrived several hours later.
At one point early Saturday afternoon, about 20 people – some family members of Velasco – gathered near the street, including two women who were seen crying. Some were heard chatting about a man they referred to as “Grandpa.”
Anyone with information on this case can contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office at (408) 808-4500 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 808-4431.
