Man kills his brother and sets house on fire in Santa Clara
Santa Clara police revealed new information on Thursday regarding the deadly shooting and fire last Friday in the usually peaceful Enright Avenue neighborhood.
Santa Clara police responded to a call of multiple gunshots on Enright Avenue on May 8. When they arrived, they found not only one person shot, but also a home on fire.
Thursday, police revealed the victim was 52-year-old Mark Heflin and the shooter was his estranged brother Matthew Heflin, who investigators believe traveled from Bloomington, Indiana and spent several weeks in the San Jose area before the crime.
Heflin rented a home right next to his brother without telling anyone in the family.
That’s where police believe he waited until May 8, when he spotted his brother and confronted him.
“After a brief verbal exchange, the suspect, who was concealing a firearm inside of a paper bag, opened fire. Crime scene investigators recovered 12 spent shell casings from the area in front of the residence. The suspect then retreated through a side yard of the rental property, fired additional rounds towards the victim’s vehicle and home, returned inside the rental and intentionally set the house on fire in a rear bedroom,” said Santa Clara police Chief Cory Morgan.
Police said Heflin then started a fire in the home and took his own life.
“Inside the burned residence, investigators recovered the suspect’s passport, ammunition and manufactured fire logs, approximately $95,000 in U.S. currency and four pistols,” Morgan said.
Mayor Lisa Gillmor conveyed condolences to the victim’s family.
Police are still investigating a big question that remains: they know what the brother did they still don’t know why.