Morgan Hill – Several shots were fired at a large party early on Sunday morning, but when police arrived, they found no one was injured, according to Morgan Hill police Sgt. David Swing.
The Morgan Hill Police Department’s street crime suppression team was out on patrol and heard the shots, Swing said. When police Det. Mindy Zen and Cpl. Troy Hoefling arrived at the East Edmundson address near Church Street, the party was breaking up. Swing said it was a chaotic scene as officers arrived, with people fleeing the area. Zen witnessed a female punching a male in the middle of the street, he added, but officers were focused on locating the shooter and possible gunshot victims.
Other officers arrived to assist and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office was contacted “due to the number of people at the scene, the report of shots fired and the combative nature of the people there,” Swing said.
Officers detained quite a few people, he added, but didn’t find a gun.
Some partygoers told police the people who fired the guns were from Gilroy and that there were gang members at the party. They also reported the suspected gang members belonged to the “ESG” or East Side Gilroy gang. Officers, however, were unable to confirm either claim.
A .45 caliber bullet casing was found at the scene, however.
Randy Chavez, 20, of Gilroy, was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on an outstanding Gilroy warrant, and a 16-year-old Gilroy male was cited and released to his parents for alleged possession of a deadly weapon, a knife.
A juvenile driving away from the scene was stopped, Swing added, and apparently had been drinking. Although no punitive action was taken, the incident will be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles and his license will likely be suspended, Swing said.
A new law, AB 2752, makes it a criminal offense for anyone under the age of 21 to operate a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .01 or above; the law goes into effect Jan. 1.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at
