A man suspected of shooting and wounding six people in downtown San Jose hours after the Super Bowl is now in custody.
The suspect, Tyrone Asphy, was found in Washington state, where area SWAT teams and FBI detectives arrested him and booked him into King County jail.
Police believe Asphy, who lives near Seattle, traveled to San Jose in February for Super Bowl weekend and ultimately opened fire in a mass shooting that wounded six people. Detectives found no connection the shooting was gang related.
“We welcomed nearly half a million people into downtown over Super Bowl week. One of those visitors thought he could endanger lives and run from the consequences — he was wrong,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement. “Our detectives followed the evidence across state lines and brought him into custody. If anyone comes here to threaten our community, they should expect the same result.”
Asphy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and is now awaiting an extradition hearing. He is expected to be extradited to Santa Clara County in the coming weeks.
Investigators said the late-night Feb. 8 shooting happened at the intersection of Santa Clara and Market streets during a confrontation between two groups. All six people who were shot are expected to recover.
Police credit automated license plate reader cameras for helping them identify Asphy’s vehicle, which ultimately helped them and the FBI hone in on him as the suspect.
King County court records show this is not Asphy’s first run in with the law.
San Jose police said they recovered the handgun used in the shooting during a search of the suspect’s Washington home. Detectives also took Asphy’s Seattle Seahawks jersey and jacket into evidence.