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Shooting in Sunnyvale, California, June 8, 2017

Edu Veliz-Salgado, 21

Shot in the parking lot of Fair Oaks Plaza, a strip mall in the 900 block of East Duane Avenue, Sunnyvale, around 2 a.m. on June 8, 2017. A 24-year-old was also wounded and survived.

Released by a judge
  1. Original charge
    First-degree murder with a firearm for the benefit of a criminal street gang
    June 8, 2017
  2. Released
    Released on own recognizance (no bail / $0)
    October 31, 2025
  3. Before the release
    Shooting
    June 8, 2017

What happened

On June 8, 2017, Veliz-Salgado, 21, was shot to death in the parking lot of Fair Oaks Plaza in Sunnyvale; a 24-year-old companion was wounded. The case went cold until 2024, when Sunnyvale DPS detectives, with help from the Santa Clara County DA, identified Vicente Aguilera-Chavez and Agustin Sandoval. Both were arrested January 9-10, 2025 and charged with murder, alleged to have killed Veliz-Salgado in the name of their gang. At an October 31, 2025 hearing, retired Judge Hector Ramon released Aguilera-Chavez on his own recognizance. The DA's office filed a motion to reconsider warning the court was 'gambling' on public safety. Ramon later released co-defendant Sandoval on the same terms.

The release decision

On June 8, 2017, Vicente Aguilera-Chavez was charged with first-degree murder with a firearm for the benefit of a criminal street gang. Superior Court Judge (retired, sitting on assignment) Hector E. Ramon ordered the release on October 31, 2025. Terms: released on own recognizance (no bail / $0). Prosecutors had asked for continued detention / no bail.

The defendant's record

Certified gang member per Santa Clara County DA. Strike offenses both before and after the June 2017 murder. Completed a state prison sentence for burglary in 2022. Arrested in East Palo Alto by Sunnyvale DPS SWAT on January 9, 2025, in the cold-case murder of Edu Veliz-Salgado.

Sources