Law Firm To Probe Incident At Gilroy Councilmember's Home: Report

GILROY, CA — A law firm will conduct an independent investigation into a Halloween party that led to a deadly shooting at the residence of Gilroy Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz, killing a teenager and wounding three others.

The Gilroy Dispatch reported that the city of Gilroy hired San Francisco-based Hanson Bridgett LLP to investigate possible violations of city code or regulations at the councilmember’s home on the 400 block of Las Animas Avenue.

The decision was made to “avoid any perceived or actual conflicts of interests,” city administrator Jimmy Forbis said in a statement, according to the Dispatch.

On Oct. 30 around 12:55 a.m., police received a 911 call of a shooting on the 400 block of Los Animas Avenue in Gilroy, the Gilroy Police Department said in a statement on Sunday. After arriving at the large outdoor party, officers learned that an altercation had escalated into a shooting at the gathering.

The Santa Clara County Coroner's office identified the victim killed in the shooting 18-year-old Michael Daniel Zuniga-Macias. A suspect was arrested a day later, but no charges were filed by the district attorney’s office “pending further investigation.”

In a statement to SFGate following the shooting, Armendariz said she was cooperating with the Gilroy Police Department in the investigation.

Read more in the Gilroy Dispatch here.