A suspect in the 2021 fatal shooting of a man in San Jose was returned to the city this week to face a murder charge.
San Jose police said Uatesoni Joseph Paasi, 31, was arrested Nov. 22 in Rosarito, Mexico, by Mexican authorities in cooperation with the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force. Paasi was extradited to the U.S. on Dec. 2 and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on a murder charge, awaiting further court proceedings.
Police said that on June 4, 2021, at 7:46pm, officers responded to a report that a person had been shot in the 4100 block of The Woods Drive, in South San Jose. At the address, officers located one adult male victim suffering from at least one gunshot wound who was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said that the victim’s family identified Paasi as the man who fatally shot the victim in front of his family during an argument over a parking space, then fled. Detectives determined that he had left the U.S. and was hiding in Mexico.
“If you want to play hide and seek, know that we will find you, no matter what country you cower in,” Police Chief Paul Joseph said in a statement. “Our relentless pursuit of dangerous and violent suspects is not defined by borders. There is no place on Earth a murderer can hide from San José Police.”
“We pursue violent offenders who believe they can run from justice and not be held accountable for their actions,” said Chief Inspector Sean LoPiccolo, commander of the Marshals’ task force. “The arrest of Uatesoni Paasi demonstrates the great relationship we share with the San Jose Police Department and our shared commitment to the relentless pursuit of justice.”
In a press release, the Police Department credited four years of work by three officers – Lieutenant Vallejo, Sergeant Barragan and Detective Harrington –to locating and arresting Paasi.
“After countless hours of chasing leads and uncovering clues, they narrowed their focus to a town in Mexico and enlisted help from the relentless United States Marshals Service,” police said. “The collaborative operation, involving agencies on both sides of the border, was incredible. Significant arrests are no accident. They are the result of grit, determination, and passion for justice.”
We would like to acknowledge the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force in Northern California, the U.S. Marshals Service Mexico Investigative Liaison Unit, and Mexican authorities in Baja, California for their assistance in the apprehension and arrest of Suspect Paasi.
