The man and woman who were found shot to death Monday afternoon inside an upscale San Jose townhouse in an apparent murder-suicide were identified today by San Jose police.
The man suspected of being the gunman was identified as Jian Ming Liang, 39. The woman has been identified as Ying He, 35, who was known to friends and family as Brandi. She lived in the Montecito Vista townhouse development off Monterey Road with her husband, Shane Coffman, according to relatives and neighbors.
Police today also released a photo of Liang, whose last known address was in Southern California. Police say Liang may have been in the San Jose area during the 72 hours before the homicide. He was driving a gold 1995 Lexis GS 300.
He and Liang recently ended a bitter custody dispute over their 9-year-old daughter, according to relatives and neighbors. Neighbors said the girl had moved in with He and Coffman sometime during the past three months, and were sighted happily playing ball together.
Police today also revealed that Liang and He may have died before police established a perimeter around the townhouse on Esfahan Drive. Officers didn't hear any gunshots once they had established a perimeter shortly after arriving to the scene, officer Jermaine Thomas said. At 8:39 a.m. Monday, police received a 911 call that someone had been shot in the new complex.
Specialized MERGE units entered the townhome about 2 p.m., where they discovered the bodies of
As of this morning, police have not officially classified the deaths as murder/suicide. However, police believed there was a gunman holding a wounded woman hostage inside the townhouse upon their arrival Monday morning. Initally, police said the woman's wounds were not life-threatening, and neighbors said they heard she was shot in the arm.
Police did say the shooting appears to have stemmed from a family dispute. Police are waiting for a final report from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's Office before making a final determination. Autopsy reports typically take about two months to complete.
While there were two bodies found inside the home, there were two people who escaped without serious injury, including Coffman, 35, whose earlobe was grazed during the shooting. The woman's 9-year-old daughter escaped without being physically harmed.
Before police arrived, Coffman and the girl ran into the garage of neighbor Anthony Gallardo, a Mercury News employee. Coffman called 911 and told arriving officers that his wife was still inside the home with the gunman.
According to a family that rented a room to him and his daughter two years ago, Liang seemed like a "nice guy,'' but they didn't totally respect the way he ran his life.
A Southern California woman who knew Liang when he and the daughter lived in Arcadia said she "didn't really think he was serious about living his life. He didn't help his daughter that much. He'd go out at night and she was usually alone in the room by herself.''
Anyone with information on this case is urged to call detective Sgt. Pete Ramirez or detective Sgt. Dave Tindall of the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit at 408-277-5283. Persons wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP.
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