San Diego police fatally shoot man they say was suicidal and holding a gun to his head
SAN DIEGO — Three San Diego police officers shot and killed a man who they said was suicidal and had held a handgun to his head Thursday, officials said.
The shooting occurred around 1 p.m. on 42nd Street near University Avenue in City Heights, after police responded to reports of a man riding a bicycle and armed with a gun on Central Avenue near Orange Avenue, San Diego County Sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Ralph said.
When officers approached the man, he ran. Officers caught up to the man in an alley, where he put the gun to his head and asked them to shoot him, the lieutenant said.
The man then took off again.
On 42nd Street, the man “produced” the gun, Ralph said. Officers instructed him to drop it. “After not complying with the instructions, officers deployed less-lethal beanbags, striking the subject,” Ralph said.
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The man fell, and as he got up with the gun in hand, three officers shot him, the lieutenant said.
The man, described as 25 to 35 years old, died before he could be taken to a hospital. He had not yet been identified as of Thursday evening.
Ralph said it was not yet known whether the man pointed the gun at officers or whether the weapon was real.
Witness Michael Breitenstein, who co-owns Inscriptu, a printing company on the corner of University Avenue and 42nd Street, said he noticed the police presence and walked over to the scene. He said he saw a small group of officers standing around the man, who was holding a gun to his head in the driveway of an apartment building.
Breitenstein said the man moved the gun from one hand to the other at least twice.
No arrests were made and no one was injured after police responded to reports of a gunman at a West Hollywood bar.
Officers had their guns drawn and a police dog nearby, and repeatedly told the man to drop the weapon, Breitenstein said.
Officers fired a beanbag shotgun at least twice, and the man fell to the ground, the witness said. He said he then heard five or six gunshots. He said he was not sure whether the man pointed the gun at officers after he fell to the ground.
Sheriff’s detectives were investigating the shooting in accordance with a countywide policy that ensures law enforcement agencies don’t investigate shootings by their own officers or deputies.
Ralph said the shooting was captured on officers’ body-worn cameras. State law requires police to release video of police shootings within 45 days. The San Diego Police Department aims to comply within 10 days, according to its website.
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