Court and police documents featuring surveillance images, obtained by NBC Bay Area on Wednesday, shed light on the deadly stabbing of a 15-year-old boy at Santana Row in San Jose earlier this month.
Five teens have been arrested in connection to the Valentine's Day stabbing.
Emmanuel Sanchez-Damian, 18, was the lone adult among the five suspects, but he was not the one who ultimately killed 15-year-old David Gutierrez, police said.
The suspected killer is 13 years old, and because he’s a juvenile under the age of 14, he is likely to serve eight months or less in an unlocked ranch facility, according to police.
The other three suspects are 16, and all five are affiliated with a San Jose street gang, according to police.
As for a motive, police said Gutierrez, who was on a date with his girlfriend, was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Documents showed that Gutierrez's girlfriend had told police that one of the suspects asked why he was wearing red so much and proceeded to assault him. After a security guard stopped the fight, Gutierrez then spotted the 13-year-old and confronted him.
The 13-year-old suspect then proceeded to stab Gutierrez, records show.
"It was the brazen nature of this attack that was so chilling that was laid out in this probable cause statement and the fact that it took place without concern for witnesses or videos," said legal analyst Steven Clark.
Prosecutors claim the suspects are all Sureño gang members and purposely dressed in red, a color affiliated with a rival gang, to disguise their identities. Police claim Gutierrez has no affiliation with any gang.
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Documents also detailed that the same five suspects are believed to have attacked another person at Valley Fair Mall, across the street from Santana Row, less than an hour before the fatal stabbing.
“I think this case could change the landscape of the juvenile justice system to give law enforcement and the DA’s office a fail-safe that if someone is just not safe to treat in juvenile court, they have the mechanisms to ensure public safety. I think that's a question for the legislature to answer," Clark said.
NBC Bay Area spoke to Santana Row shoppers on Wednesday as they reacted to the details.
"It’s kind of shocking this world is getting crazy, said San Jose resident Matt Ryan. "We work so hard to get guns off the street and what are we gonna do? Eliminate knives too?"
View the documents below.
