Suspect arrested after 2 die in stabbings at San Jose church used as shelter, police say
A suspect has been arrested in connection with two fatal stabbings at a San Jose church in use as a homeless shelter, officials said.
Two people died and three were injured in the incident reported at Grace Baptist Church in the 400 block of East San Fernando Street on Sunday night, according to a statement posted online by the San Jose Police Department.
Arriving just before 8 p.m., officers found five victims suffering from at least one stab wound each, according to a news release by officer Steve Aponte.
An adult male victim was declared dead at the scene. An adult female victim was transported to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries.
A male suspect was in custody by 8 a.m. Monday, according to Aponte. His name has not been released, and a motive has not yet been identified.
No church services were underway at the time of the stabbing. The church was being used as a shelter for homeless people “to get them out of the cold,” according to the police department.
The names of those who died will be released by the Santa Clara County coroner’s ofice after confirming their identities and notifying their families, Aponte said.
The deaths mark San Jose’s 40th and 41st homicides this year.
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