Robert Lee Turner, 61, is suspected of shooting Verna Lisa Hollins, 48, shortly before 10 p.m. at a two-story apartment complex in the 2100 block of Rexford Way, Officer Jose Garcia said. The building is just south of San Jose City College.
Hollins was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Prior to the shooting, police say Turner stabbed another woman, also 48, in the stomach. She was in critical condition Wednesday night and remains hospitalized, Garcia said. He did not have an update on her condition this morning.
After being stabbed, the victim went two doors down to Hollins' apartment and knocked on her door, Garcia said.
Turner, meanwhile, retrieved a gun from his apartment and when Hollins opened the door, he allegedly shot her point-blank in the torso then returned to his apartment, Garcia said.
Turner and Hollins were neighbors and all three knew each other, Garcia said. The crime appears to have stemmed from a dispute of some sort, although it's unclear how the argument began, Garcia said.
"There might have been some type of conflict in the past" between Hollins and Turner, he said.
Garcia said he does not know if the stabbing victim lives in the building, but said she might have been visiting Hollins. When officers responded, they found her sitting on a curb across the street.
Officers confronted Turner on their way to Hollins' apartment and took him into custody. They searched his apartment and recovered a knife and gun, Garcia said. No one else was found inside his apartment and it appears he acted alone, Garcia said.
Police were interviewing him this morning and will make a determination on whether to book him later today, Garcia said.
