Nov. 1 (UPI) — Police in Northern California have arrested a 19-year-old man in connection to a shooting at a Gilroy councilmember’s house over the weekend that left one person dead and three others wounded, authorities said.
The police department in Gilroy, which is located about 33 miles south of San Jose, announced in a statement Sunday that Benjamin David Calderon was arrested at about 4:15 p.m. the day prior, when members of the Gilroy/Morgan Hill Regional SWAT team served a search warrant at a local residence.
Calderon was arrested in connection to a early Saturday shooting at the home of Gilroy City Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz.
Police said they were called to Armendariz’s residence shortly before 1 a.m. due to a shooting and arrived to a large outdoor party where four people between the ages of 17 and 19 were shot.
One male was pronounced dead at the scene while the other victims, two suffering from life-threatening injuries, were transported to local hospitals, authorities said.
The police department said that at least one person opened fire at the party following an altercation, the specifics of which were not released.
Armendariz released a statement Saturday saying neither she nor her family were injured.
“I pray for those whose loved ones have been touched by what has occurred,” she said, adding that they are cooperating fully with the authorities.
“Our primary concern is for the individuals impacted and their families,” she said. “We hope the Gilroy community will come together with love and support for those touched by yesterday’s events at the appropriate time.”
The shooting occurred during a Halloween weekend in which several people were shot and killed at parties nationwide.
In Texas, one person was killed and nine others were injured late Saturday in a shooting that erupted at a party in Texarkana, located about 180 miles northeast of Dallas.
In Illinois, more than a dozen were wounded and two were killed when two suspected gunmen early Sunday opened fire at a Halloween party in Joliet Township, which is about 40 miles southwest of Chicago.
