By Khalida Sarwari
Nearly 500 people gathered at the Oak Hill Funeral Home in San Jose today to pay their final respects to Manuel Pinon, one of three people gunned down at a Cupertino cement plant last week.
Pinon, 48, of Newman, died on Oct. 5 at the hands of his co-worker Shareef Allman, 49, during a meeting at the Lehigh Southwest Cement Plant at 24001 Stevens Creek Blvd. Also killed were John Robert Vallejos, 51, and Mark Munoz, 59, both of San Jose.
Allman, described by authorities as a disgruntled employee, opened fire on about 15 of his fellow employees at a 4 a.m. meeting at the plant. He shot nine people, killing three before fleeing and shooting a woman during an attempted carjacking hours later in a Hewlett-Packard company parking lot.
A massive manhunt for Allman ensued, during which he was found the following morning crouched behind a car parked on Lorne Way in Sunnyvale. He died during a confrontation with deputies.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office initially reported that three deputies had shot and killed Allman, but on Tuesday the medical examiner’s office announced that though he had several other wounds, Allman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Today, Pinon’s friends and family wore red ribbons adorned with a smiling photo of Pinon. Those who knew him said his smile was one of his best qualities and photo displays of Pinon as a child and as an adult reflected their comments.
“That big smile and that beautiful heart he had, that’s all he needs,” said Anthony Castro,a friend of Pinon’s who said he considered him as a brother. “I know one day I’m going to see him again.”
Family members described Pinon as a “quiet and reserved” man who had a love of old cars and was a devoted San Francisco 49ers fan. They said he “adored his grandparents,” with whom he lived in San Jose during the week, and that he had a strong work ethic.
“Manuel’s the kind of guy who didn’t wait for things to happen, he made them happen,” Castro said. “I really respected him for that.”
Pinon leaves behind Melina Pinon, his wife of 27 years, and five children – Jennifer, Salina, Serena, Eric, and Aaron, and grandchildren.
Long after the end of the funeral service, people stood outside the chapel talking quietly about the tragic circumstances of Pinon’s death.
Daniel Castro, 56, of San Jose, said he knew Pinon through his brother-in-law, Michael Ambrosio – a Lehigh worker who survived the shooting – and considered him as a member of his family.
“It affected numerous people,” Castro said. “There’s no way of understanding this.”
Ambrosio, his right arm bandaged and tucked into a cast, said he was taking time off to heal physically and mentally.
“I didn’t feel anything when (the bullet) went through,” Ambrosio said. But some minutes after the shooting, he said his arm felt like it was burning.
Ambrosio said the healing process has not been easy, especially for some workers at the company. Some of the guys he talked to just yesterday broke down in front of him, Ambrosio said.
It was apparent that the healing process would take time for many of those directly affected. While Castro said he could not bring himself to blame anyone – not even Allman – reasoning that Allman’s family was also affected by the tragedy – Ambrosio, when asked if he was ready to forgive Allman, alongside whom he worked for 15 years, shook his head and replied, “not yet.”
A week later, many appear to be grappling with the consequences of Allman’s deadly shooting rampage. Fidel Castillo, a 64-year-old operator of heavy equipment at the cement plant, escaped the meeting unharmed, but said he has been having bad dreams ever since.
“I feel lucky. Very lucky,” Castillo said. “But, still I don’t feel good.”
As he recounted the events of that morning – he sat motionless with his head bowed and hands clasped on his lap as bullets zoomed above his head – tears welled up in Castillo’s eyes, and he said, “I still can’t believe it happened but I know it’s real.”
Mothers Against Murder, a Palo Alto victim advocate group working with the Pinon family, is seeking donations to help Melina Pinon, who suffers from a serious illness and is facing steep medical costs along with the mortgage payment on her home in the coming weeks, Petros said.
Donations to help Melina Pinon can be made to Manuel Pinon’s Memorial Fund at Bank of the West with the account number 025648840. Donations can also be made in person at any Bank of the West branch or mailed to the Newman branch located at 945 Fresno St., Newman.
