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Local police continue to review surveillance camera images and witness statements in search of leads into a July 16 shooting in downtown Morgan Hill. No injuries were reported in the unusual incident, but some are shaken up by the violence.
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A short video from a downtown surveillance camera that allegedly depicts the shooting suspect running away from the scene after firing nine rounds on the 17300 block of Monterey Road was released by Morgan Hill Police this week.
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The footage shows the suspect—described as a white male about 5-feet 10-inches tall—running south on the Monterey Road sidewalk in front of Ladera Grill restaurant. MHPD is asking viewers to share the video on social media, and report any information about the incident to authorities.
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Officers investigating the July 16 shooting—which resulted in damage to two vehicles and no injuries—have spoken to employees of downtown businesses and other witnesses to the incident, but have not determined the suspect’s motive or identity. Police say they have also combed through numerous surveillance camera images, resulting in the release of the short clip Tuesday morning.
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South Valley Cab driver Floyd Petersen was in his taxi waiting for a fare downtown July 16 when it was struck by three bullets. Shaken by the incident, Petersen said he is now likely to limit his time downtown—a neighborhood where he has spent most of his Friday and Saturday nights picking up fares for several years.
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“It could have been worse,” Petersen said. “It has scared me. If I go back to driving, I’m not going to be sitting in front of the Tavern anymore. It’s getting a little too wild downtown for me to be sitting there.”
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Unknown motive, ID
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About 11:15 p.m. July 16, Morgan Hill police responded to a call of shots fired on the 17300 block of Monterey Road, on the west side of the street. As police responded to the scene, officers were told a man fired a handgun toward two vehicles, which were parked on Monterey Road.
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When police arrived they determined Petersen’s taxicab and a pickup—both parked in front of M&H Tavern, 17365 Monterey Road—had been damaged by the gunfire, Thomas said. The shooter fired the handgun while he was standing or running from the area in front of Ladera Grill restaurant, 17305 Monterey Road, just two doors down the street from the Tavern.
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“Based on the trajectory of the bullets, he…shot while he was running, because two or three shots skipped off the ground,” Thomas added.
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The suspect ran south toward Fifth Street after the shooting, according to police. He was wearing a black baseball cap, dark sweatshirt, red shirt, dark pants and white shoes.
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Petersen said he was waiting in his car, which was parked at the curb directly in front of the Tavern, when the shooting happened. He heard the loud gunshots, but he thought the sound was from fireworks. Without realizing his car had been shot, he continued to wait for a fare until the police arrived and asked him to leave.
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He started to drive south on Monterey Road when he noticed he had a flat tire. He pulled over to a gas station where he saw a bullet hole in his front passenger door and the vehicle was leaking fluids. He called police to tell them his taxi was hit. Ultimately, Petersen learned his car was struck by three rounds—one in the tire, one in the passenger’s door and one in the radiator.
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Officers collected evidence from Petersen’s taxi, took a statement from him and returned the vehicle July 19.
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“I’ve seen fights break out down there,” Petersen clarified of what he sees as a changing late-night atmosphere downtown. “It’s a different crowd than it used to be. It’s a crowd that’s kind of scary. It’s a shame because I used to enjoy this. I’m getting uncomfortable down there.”
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Police took statements from other witnesses who were in the area at the time of the shooting, and have been unable to determine the shooter’s motive. None of the witnesses saw or heard an argument or altercation of any kind preceding the shooting, Thomas said.
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Bob Allman, bartender at M&H Tavern, was working at the time of the shooting. He said it had been a mellow evening. When the shooting happened, Allman said he heard the loud noise outside while he was behind the bar, but he also thought it was fireworks. What followed next was a scene of panic and desperation.
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“It was like watching TV,” Allman said. “People were pushing each other, and falling all over each other and panicking,” as they ran from the front of the bar—which faces Monterey Road—toward the rear door which empties into a parking lot.
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After the initial panic, Allman went out the front door. Still thinking it was fireworks, he walked toward Ladera Grill and almost stepped on a number of spent shell casings that remained on the sidewalk.
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“I was shocked,” Allman said when it dawned on him that a shooting had just happened. Moments later, he closed the bar for the evening.
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Shooting rare downtown
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The last shooting in downtown Morgan Hill took place May 2010, when a fight outside a bar escalated to gunshots and a stabbing. A 33-year-old Gilroy man suffered a gunshot wound and survived the incident. Police said at the time the altercation might have been gang-related.
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Following that shooting was a months-long discussion of downtown bar safety, prompted by residents and businesses who thought the scene was getting too rowdy at night. The discussion reached the city council, which directed police to conduct more intensive and frequent nighttime patrols downtown but declined to impose harsher restrictions on the bar owners.
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City Councilman Larry Carr, a downtown resident himself, remembers those discussions and thinks the downtown has become quieter and safer since then. He said the July 16 shooting appears to be an isolated incident.
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“As a downtown resident, I’m not fearful and I’m not afraid for my family to be downtown,” Carr said. “There’s no reason to think that was anything more than one incident, and I think police are working hard to find this guy and find out what happened.”
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Carr added that the council plans to discuss public safety and any possibilities for more resources for police and fire at their mid-year goal-setting workshop later this month.
MHPD is asking anyone who witnessed the July 16 shooting or has information about the incident to call Det. Fernando Del Moral at (669) 253-4964 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.
