By Khalida Sarwari
Police are continuing to investigate an officer-involved shooting in East San Jose late Thursday night in which a 47-year-old man identified as Valente Galindo was killed after he allegedly pointed a gun at a police officer.
Officer Lee Tassio shot Galindo around 11:30 p.m. inside a bedroom at a home in the 2100 block of Inman Way.
Just minutes prior to the shooting, Tassio and another officer were patrolling the area when they spotted a man walking in the neighborhood drinking beer, police Sgt. Jason Dwyer said.
When the man, identified as 24-year-old Manuel Fuentes, saw the officers approaching, he took off running and officers chased him into a house that he barged into without a key, Dwyer said.
As Tassio knocked Fuentes to the ground inside the home, Fuentes took a gun out from his waistband and tossed it into a nearby bedroom, Dwyer said.
Galindo, who was in the bedroom, picked up the gun from the ground, and ignoring Tassio’s commands to drop the weapon, he allegedly pointed the gun at Tassio who was standing in the doorway.
In self-defense, Tassio fired one round and struck Galindo once, Dwyer said.
Tassio and the second officer attempted to give Galindo first aid by applying direct pressure using towels and blankets until paramedics arrived. He was taken to Regional Medical Center of San Jose, where he was pronounced dead at 12:13 a.m., Dwyer said.
Fuentes was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of resisting arrest and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Dwyer said that Tassio has nine years of police experience, seven with the San Jose Police Department.
Both he and the second officer have been placed on routine paid administrative leave.
The handgun passed from Fuentes to Galindo was recovered, Dwyer said.
The two men were apparently acquaintances, Dwyer said. Both live in San Jose.
He said there were “several other people” inside the house at the time of the shooting, but no one else was harmed.
The shooting marks San Jose’s eighth officer-involved shooting of 2011 and the fourth fatal officer-involved shooting.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective Sgt. Erin Fong or Detective John Barg at (408) 277-5283. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the Crime Stoppers tip line at (408) 947-STOP (7867) or visit www.svcrimestoppers.org/.
