A small group of family and friends gathered Tuesday evening for the vigil of Antonio Guzman Lopez, who was killed by San Jose State University Police Department officers nine years ago.
Lopez was shot during a confrontation with two UPD officers on Feb. 21, 2014.
According to the UPD police report, officers were called after there were reports of a man wielding a knife on the intersection of S. Eighth and San Salvador St.
When officers arrived at the scene, they thought Lopez was acting strange because of alcohol or drugs, according to the UPD police report.
When officers told Lopez to drop the weapon, he refused and started to run away, according to the same report.
Lopez was then shot twice in the back.
One of the bullets went through his body and into a nearby sorority house, according to a 2019 NBC Bay Area article.
He was transported to a nearby hospital where he died from his wounds, according to the same NBC article.
Laurie Valdez, who was Lopez’s partner for seven years at the moment of his death, was one of the key speakers at the vigil.
“Something wrong was done here,” Valdez said. “All the students that come through will know the story and they won’t brush it under the rug.”
She said the hardest part about losing Lopez was explaining to her son why his dad died that night.
“We try to keep putting up the memorial every year right here,” Valdez said. “Antonio was buried in Nayarit, Mexico so my son, the only place he has to remember his dad is right here where they took his life. He’s been growing up without his dad and he wants accountability.”
Social work masters student Lana Gomez, is one of Valdez’s friends who participate in the vigil.
Gomez said UPD needs to do more than just show up to vigils and say they support police reform.
“The best thing the San Jose community can do to support victims of police brutality is to really hear the voice of those who have been affected,” she said.
“ ‘Lets paint this mural and then take a pic with the fam and slap it all over social media,’ like no that's not what it's about,” Gomez said. “They need to do real work and honestly put their money where their mouth is. You’ve caused so much pain– pay these families, create scholarships in their name, talk to them and see what they want directly.
Among those in attendance was Raj Jayadev, co-founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug and Valdez’s friend.
Silicon Valley De-Bug is a community organizing, advocacy and multimedia storytelling organization, according to the Silicon Valley De-Bug website.
Jayadev said UPD is not needed and should not exist on campus.
“It only invites violence, and it makes the students unsafe,” Jayadev said. “As we recognized here today, it makes the residence of this university community unsafe.”
He also said the presence of a mental health professional could have prevented Lopez’s death. “The people that called 911 nine years ago needed to be able to call a line that helped people that potentially may be going through a mental health episode,” Jayadev said. “They weren’t armed and weren't going to kill the person or incarcerate them.”
Other community members who experienced family members who died because of police brutality also came to participate in the vigil.
Corina Cardenas is one of those people.
Her dad, Rodolfo Cardenas, was shot and killed by a State Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement agent in San Jose downtown in Feb. 2004, according to a Sep. 28, 2006 SFGate article.
“As far as police following protocols, they're not gonna follow them if they're not being held accountable,” said Cardenas.
According to the City of San Jose website, all officer-involved shootings are investigated and an internal investigation by the SJPD Internal Affairs investigates the officer’s conduct during the shooting.
Valdez concluded the vigil by thanking the San Jose community for supporting the family and standing against police brutality.
“We have to remember him and not let the world forget that a wrong was done here,” Valdez said. “An injustice was done here.”
