SAN JOSE — In the week since Christopher Maxwell Wrenn was found mortally wounded in the hallway of a North San Jose office complex, two suspects are dead, one is on the lam, and answers remain elusive as to why he was killed.

Among the few things known is that his encounter with his killers wasn’t by chance. Police believe Wrenn was somehow connected to 29-year-old Matthew Castillo and 40-year-old Richard Jacquez, who were killed in confrontations with officers earlier this week, as well as a third, unidentified suspect shown in a surveillance video that recorded the armed attack in the early morning hours of Aug. 13.

The Lundy Avenue office that serves as the backdrop of the video had apparently been partially occupied by Wrenn to start up a budding software business. Wrenn’s sister, who asked not to be named out of privacy concerns, told this newspaper that she was helping him decide on a name and online domain for the venture in the days leading up to his death.

Police confirmed that after Wrenn’s killing, officers served a search warrant at the office. A source familiar with the investigation said police seized a sizable amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Wrenn had three drug convictions in the mid-2000s for possessing methamphetamine for sale, for which he served at least two prison terms.

But there is no established motive in his death. And the drug life was well behind him when he died, the sister said, adding that Wrenn, who also worked as a welder, was reverting to the inspired illustrator and math talent he was before he moved from his native Virginia to California in 2000 after a stint with the Marine Corps.

Wrenn’s sister also said he formed his business with his military experience in mind, pledging to devote a percentage of profits to help veterans start new lives after the service. His father was a Vietnam veteran.

“I was so happy to hear the excitement in his voice,” the sister said. “On Aug. 10, I secured a couple of domain names I thought he’d like, and planned to message him on Friday. Unfortunately, I found out instead my baby brother had been brutally tortured, shot and left to die.”

At the office building where Wrenn was shot, there are still traces of the deadly shooting, including bloodstains on the carpet in the hallway where he was found. That’s likely where he ran to after allegedly being chased out of the office by Jacquez, shown in surveillance video holding a Tec-9 assault pistol, Castillo, armed with a handgun, and the yet-to-be-identified suspect, a heavyset man dressed in all black holding what appeared to be a hammer or similar tool tied to a rope.

Police are still seeking tips for the at-large suspect’s whereabouts and any other information about the killing, which was the city’s 19th of the year.

It also spawned more deadly violence: Castillo was killed in an armed confrontation with police Sunday in front of a Senter Road laundry; and Jacquez was shot and killed Monday by an officer chasing him after he was suspected of plotting to kill a woman who was a passenger in his car.

Jacquez’s killing has caused some community uproar, including among family members who protest the homicide allegations, because police initially said he reached into his waistband before being shot in the back, but then recanted that. Police still contend that shooting Jacquez, who was not armed, was justified because the violent circumstances with which he was associated made him a broad threat. The Tec-9 that police believe he was holding in the video was recovered at a home in San Jose.

Meanwhile, Wrenn’s family continues to seek clarity as to why their loved one, whatever flaws, didn’t get a chance to realize redemption.

“I am devastated by the loss of my only brother,” his sister said. “We pray … that all of those involved are brought to justice.”

Anyone with information about the case can contact SJPD homicide detectives at 408-277-5283 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP (7867) or with svcrimestoppers.org.