San Jose: Police announce arrests in two springtime homicides

SAN JOSE — Police have announced multiple arrests in connection with two separate fatal shootings from earlier this year, potentially resolving two springtime killings that initially had sparse leads to follow.

The most recent shooting was reported April 4 just before 4 a.m. on Sunset Court off Alum Rock Avenue in East San Jose, with responding officers discovering a gravely wounded Rigoberto Suarez Tapia. The 45-year-old victim died at the hospital a short time later.

An ensuing investigation identified five suspects in that that shooting: Lawrence Eti, 36, of San Jose; Irma Ordonez, 27, of San Jose; Michael Tran, 43, of Las Vegas; Rodolfo Lopez Pinon, 34, of San Jose; and Kevin Le, a 25-year-old San Jose resident who is still being sought by police.

Police said Wednesday Eti and Ordonez were arrested June 3, and that Tran was arrested July 14, all in San Jose. Lopez Pinon was already in Santa Clara County jail custody involving an unrelated crime when detectives secured his arrest warrant. All four were booked on suspicion of murder, police said.

The other fatal shooting for which police announced arrests Wednesday was reported March 9 around 8:45 p.m. on Cas Drive at Solari Park, near the Seven Trees Community Center.

Responding officers arrived to find signs that a shooting occurred, but no one still at the scene. Soon after, they learned that a man suffering from gunshot wounds had arrived at Regional Medical Center and later died from his injuries. The victim was identified as Tumarion Burch, a 20-year-old Stockton resident.

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Homicide investigators said last month they believed the shooting was gang-motivated and that the park near where the shooting occurred was the site of “increased activity” by a local street gang.

San Jose police identified four 20-year-old men as suspects in the March 9 shooting: Jonathan Hernandez, of Milpitas; Elias Navarro, of Gilroy; David Ramirez Salas, of Gilroy; and Alex Zuniga-Melchor, of San Jose. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency participated in the investigation, police said, but its specific role was not disclosed.

Police said on July 30, Hernandez was arrested in San Jose and Zuniga-Melchor was arrested in Milpitas, and that a day later, Navarro was arrested in Millbrae and Salas was arrested in Gilroy. All four were booked into Santa Clara County jail custody on suspicion of murder.

The shootings marked the fourth and fifth homicides recorded in San Jose in 2025. Anyone with information about either case can contact the SJPD homicide unit at 408-277-5283.

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