On May 6, 2021, Brenda Jimenez, a 23-year-old resident of West Sacramento, California, tragically lost her life in a violent incident. In the early hours of that day, the West Sacramento Police Department responded to reports of a collision and gunshots near the intersection of Cummins Way and 6th Street. Upon arrival, officers discovered Jimenez in the driver's seat of a Chevy Impala, which had crashed into a garage door.
The vehicle had multiple bullet holes, and paramedics pronounced Jimenez dead at the scene. The cause of death was later determined to be a gunshot wound that penetrated her heart.
In the passenger seat of the Impala, officers found 26-year-old Kenneth Robinson Jr., who had sustained a gunshot wound to his back. Robinson was transported to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment and survived the attack. Nearby, an abandoned Chevy Tahoe was found, which had also collided near the same residence. Investigators linked the Tahoe to 20-year-old Jose Tellez Flores, who was arrested later that day.
The investigation revealed that Tellez Flores, along with at least two other individuals, including his brother Felipe Tellez, had been celebrating Cinco de Mayo at a restaurant in South Sacramento called Rick’s Hacienda until around 1:30 AM. The group then traveled to West Sacramento, where they encountered Jimenez's Impala. Surveillance footage showed the Tahoe pulling up alongside the Impala at a stop sign before the Impala sped away, with the Tahoe in pursuit. Multiple gunshots were fired from the Tahoe as it chased the Impala, which eventually lost control and crashed.
Further evidence, including traffic cameras, surveillance videos, and GPS data, helped investigators piece together the events leading up to the shooting. A Ring camera captured the sound of additional gunshots and an individual firing into the Impala after the crash. Tellez Flores and his associates were seen fleeing the area on foot. Later that morning, Tellez Flores' father gave him and his brother a ride home from an apartment complex in West Sacramento.
On January 4, 2022, a jury found Jose Tellez Flores guilty of second-degree murder for the killing of Brenda Jimenez and attempted murder for the shooting of Kenneth Robinson Jr. Tellez Flores remained in custody throughout the trial, and forensic evidence linked him to a 10 mm Glock handgun used in the homicide. The case highlighted the reckless disregard for community safety exhibited by Tellez Flores and his associates during the incident.
