SAN JOSE — A man died after he was stabbed on a downtown street early Sunday, police said. Police officers were called at 12:51 a.m. for a report of a stabbing on South Second Street near San Fernando Street, according to a San Jose Police Department news release.

The family of a 22-year-old East Bay man says he was fatally stabbed in downtown San Jose early Sunday while trying to protect a friend who was being attacked.

Police in San Jose have launched a homicide investigation following a deadly stabbing in the city's downtown over the weekend.