Indiana Man Kills Brother in Santa Clara Fire

Matthew Heflin, a 49-year-old from Bloomington, Indiana, traveled to Santa Clara and killed his estranged brother before setting a nearby rental house on fire, Santa Clara police said on May 14. The shooting happened around 12:30 p.m. on May 8 on the 600 block of Enright Avenue, where officers found 52-year-old Mark Heflin outside a home with gunshot wounds, according to police. Firefighters then confronted a house fire next door as officers moved neighbors out of the area and locked down the block. Santa Clara Police Chief Cory Morgan said the case appears to be an isolated murder-suicide involving brothers who had been estranged for at least three years. ### How did police say the attack unfolded on Enright Avenue? Santa Clara police said Matthew Heflin arrived in the San Jose area around April 14 after telling a friend he was going to Colorado, then rented the house next door to his brother about three days before the shooting. Investigators said Mark Heflin and his family did not know he was there. (svvoice.com) Chief Cory Morgan said witnesses told investigators that Mark Heflin was retrieving items from his vehicle just after noon on May 8 when his brother approached him. After what Morgan described as a brief verbal exchange, Matthew Heflin fired from a gun concealed in a paper bag, and investigators recovered 12 spent shell casings in front of the home. Police said he then moved through the side yard of the rental property and fired additional rounds toward Mark Heflin’s vehicle and house. (svvoice.com) ### Why was there a fire at the same scene? Police said Matthew Heflin went back inside the rental property and intentionally set a rear bedroom on fire after the shooting. Santa Clara firefighters brought the blaze under control after about three hours, according to local reporting from the scene. Morgan said officers and firefighters were dealing with gunfire and smoke at the same time. (svvoice.com) Santa Clara police used armored rescue vehicles, drones and tactical personnel to evacuate residents and protect fire crews, according to police. ### What did officers find inside the burned house? Later on May 8, Santa Clara police’s special response team entered the burned rental and found Matthew Heflin dead in a rear bedroom, police said. (svvoice.com) As of the May 14 briefing, investigators had not determined whether he died from the fire or by some other means. Inside the house, investigators recovered Matthew Heflin’s passport, ammunition, manufactured fire logs, about $95,000 in U.S. currency and four pistols, Morgan said. Police also said Matthew Heflin did not have a criminal history in California and that his only known Indiana record was a 2011 drunken-driving case. (svvoice.com) ### How broad was the emergency response around the block? The 600 block of Enright Avenue became both a homicide scene and a fire scene on May 8. Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety assisted Santa Clara police, including with a drone, and Santa Clara police also deployed a SWAT team, according to reporting from the scene. (svvoice.com) Earlier accounts from Santa Clara police said the shooter had fled into one of the homes on Enright Avenue, prompting evacuations and shelter-in-place orders for nearby residents while officers secured the area. ABC7 reported that the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner later identified the two men as Mark and Matthew Heflin. (svvoice.com) ### Do investigators know why the brothers were estranged? Santa Clara police said on May 14 that they had not determined a motive. Morgan told reporters the attack was isolated, but said investigators were still working to piece together why Matthew Heflin came to California and carried out the shooting and fire. (svvoice.com) Detective Sergeant Bell is handling tips as the investigation continues, according to Santa Clara police’s earlier public notice. Police said anyone with information can contact Bell directly or use the department’s anonymous tip line. (svvoice.com) (svvoice.com)