This Tuesday morning, San Diego police were called to an elementary school in City Heights due to reports of a man seen with a gun. Unfortunately, the situation escalated, resulting in officers fatally shooting the suspect, as reported by a police spokesperson.
The California Department of Justice has announced that it will take charge of the investigation into this shooting—as mandated by law whenever police actions involve the death of a person believed to be unarmed.
While details about the incident are still coming to light, it is known that it took place near Fay Elementary School in the Colina del Sol neighborhood. The police received a call to 911 right before 6:45 a.m. from someone claiming they had witnessed a man lying on the ground with a gun not far from the school, situated on 52nd Street, just north of University Avenue. The suspect, reported to be in his 40s, was also said to have been holding a knife.
According to Officer Sarah Foster from the police department, when the officers arrived at the scene, the man took off running. Police were able to locate him on Orange Avenue nearby, where attempts to de-escalate the situation ensued. Officers tried various methods, including using beanbags and deploying a police dog, but tragically, their efforts did not resolve the situation, leading to the deadly confrontation.
Authorities are yet to disclose the identity of the man who was shot. It remains unclear whether he was actually armed when officers interacted with him on Orange Avenue, but thankfully, no police personnel were hurt during this incident.
A representative from the San Diego Unified School District stated that a staff member had spotted the individual on the school grounds, noticing he had something in his hand before directing him to leave. The school was conducting a pre-school program at that time and promptly went into lockdown after the police were notified. Following the ordeal, the school reopened and resumed its normal activities.
The state DOJ has affirmed that a specialized investigation team has been established for this case. Once the investigation wraps up, it will be referred to their special prosecution division for additional review. This incident falls under a state law enacted in 2021, which requires investigations into police shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed individual.
It’s important to note that weapons such as guns and knives are classified as deadly arms, while BB guns are categorized in the same manner, unlike replica firearms, which aren’t.
This marks the second inquiry by the California Department of Justice into a police shooting involving the San Diego force. They are also examining the shooting involving John Ray Romero, 58, who had appeared to point what looked like a real gun at his own head in a separate encounter in City Heights back in 2022. That particular case also continues to be under investigation.
Just last month, the state stepped in to oversee an investigation following another police shooting incident, whereby Escondido police fatally shot a woman after a pursuit that concluded in a crash on southbound state Route 163 near its intersection with Interstate 15 in Miramar.
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