Jacqui Amir Biggins

Jacqui Amir Biggins, a 27-year-old Black man from Antioch, California, was a son and friend whose life was cut short by gun violence in the spring of 2022. His death occurred in downtown San Jose, setting off a multi-state investigation to find the person responsible.

In the early morning hours of March 27, 2022, at approximately 2:44 a.m., San Jose police officers responded to a report of a shooting near the intersection of South Fourth and East San Carlos streets, close to the San Jose State University campus. Arriving officers found Jacqui suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Paramedics were called to the scene, but Jacqui was pronounced dead. His death was recorded as the fourth homicide in the city of San Jose that year.

The night was chaotic. About 20 minutes after the shooting, a large, unrelated brawl broke out at a nearby La Victoria Taqueria. Officers investigating Jacqui’s death rushed to the restaurant, initially concerned the events might be connected. The second incident, which resulted in a controversial police shooting, was ultimately determined to be separate, but it complicated the initial stages of the homicide investigation.

San Jose homicide detectives pursued a lengthy, multi-state investigation that led them to identify a suspect: Ronnel Spencer, a 31-year-old resident of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois. On May 15, 2022, Spencer was arrested by Chicago police on unrelated domestic violence and firearms-related charges. San Jose police secured an arrest warrant for the murder and traveled to Illinois to interview him in jail. Authorities in Santa Clara County then began the process of extraditing Spencer to California to face prosecution for Jacqui’s death. A motive for the shooting was not publicly released by investigators.

Spencer was successfully extradited and brought to trial in San Jose for the murder. In September 2023, as the trial was set to begin, Spencer reportedly assaulted his own defense attorney during the proceedings. As of September 2023, the case against him remains pending in litigation.