San Jose police say a 32-year-old man is behind bars this week after a gang-related shooting on the city’s East Side that left one teenage boy wounded and another with a bullet hole in his clothes.
The Dec. 6, 2025 incident unfolded on the 1100 block of South Capitol Avenue near Story Road, where two juvenile males were confronted by a man who allegedly asked about their gang affiliation before opening fire. One teen was hit and taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, while a second youth was struck only in his clothing, according to investigators.
Arrest and evidence
On Tuesday, detectives located 32-year-old Jose Ortiz-Buenrostro and arrested him, booking him into the Santa Clara County Jail, according to CBS San Francisco. A search of his home turned up what investigators say is the firearm used in the shooting, along with clothes they believe he wore during the attack and various pieces of gang paraphernalia. Police say that the collection of evidence ties him to the Dec. 6 shooting.
How police tracked the suspect
Investigators homed in on a vehicle linked to the scene using automated license plate reader technology, a tool the San José Police Department has leaned on more heavily in recent years to flag suspect cars and bolster investigations. The city has expanded its network of ALPR cameras and analytics as part of a broader crime-fighting toolkit, according to the San Jose Police Department. The Gang Investigations Unit worked with crime analysis teams to review the data and secure both search and arrest warrants.
Investigation details
Police say the gunman confronted the juveniles, asked about their gang ties, then fired before fleeing in a vehicle. Detectives later used information from a license plate reader system to identify that car and its suspected driver, according to CBS San Francisco. With help from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, investigators obtained warrants that led to the recovery of the firearm and clothing, which officers say line up with what witnesses reported seeing at the East San Jose scene.
Local context
Gang-related crime remains a stubborn concern in San José. More than 200 gang-related incidents were reported in the first half of 2025 alone, according to the department’s public data. City officials have tried to pull back the curtain on those trends with an online Gang Incident Dashboard and related reporting tools that let residents and policymakers track activity in near real time, as detailed by Local News Matters. The dashboard is paired with prevention efforts and youth outreach in a bid to slow the cycle of retaliatory violence.
Legal outlook
Ortiz-Buenrostro remains in custody on suspicion of attempted murder at the Santa Clara County Jail while detectives and prosecutors continue to work the case. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not yet released information about formal charges or upcoming court dates.
