Courtesy of the Vasquez Family
Jennifer Vasquez has been identified as the 24-year-old woman who was shot and killed by San Jose police department due to a case of mistaken identity. Police originally believed that Vasquez was the suspect in a prior shooting.
What Happened To Jennifer Vasquez?
According to reports, Vasquez was allegedly spotted driving a stolen vehicle, which began a police chase around 2:09 a.m. on Tuesday, December 25. The chase happened in the area of Clemence Avenue and Story Road in San Jose.
Speaking at a news conference, San Jose police Chief Eddie Garcia said that witnesses pointed out Vasquez’s white Toyota Camry on Clemence Avenue and said, “that way, they shot.”
An officer saw then broadcast the description of Vasquez’s vehicle and engaged in pursuit. Officers eventually began firing on Vasquez’s vehicle, killing the 24-year-old and injuring the passenger, 28-year-old Linda Bueno.
via NBC Bay Area:
Police then pursued the car in a high-speed chase that lasted about seven minutes before Vasquez lost control of the car and crashed into a chain-link fence in the area of Fruitdale and Leigh avenues next to Sherman Oaks Elementary School.
Vasquez then allegedly drove backward and forward in an effort to remove the car from the fence, eventually positioning the vehicle to ram into a patrol car. Garcia said police officers were standing outside their cars and took her actions as a threat to their lives.
Four police officers began shooting at the driver and the passenger. Vasquez suffered fatal wounds and died at the scene. Garcia said police will not yet be releasing the amount of gunshots fired by officers.
Following the chase and subsequent shooting, Bueno was taken to a hospital to have her injuries treated before she was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on a misdemeanor bench warrant.
In the days since the shooting, friends and family of Vasquez’s have called the slaying “unjustified.”
After the shooting, responding officers did not locate any evidence that Vasquez and Bueno were connected to the initial shooting. Additionally, the San Jose police department has not released any further information about the actual suspects in the attempted murder at this time.
Her family has since created a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise money for her funeral expenses.