SAN DIEGO–A 47 year-old man who was wanted for several felony warrants in Missouri was fatally shot in an officer-involved shooting, San Diego police said Wednesday.
Police officers were on patrol in the 1700 block of Garnet Avenue and recognized the man, who considered armed and dangerous and was believed to be armed with a handgun.
Officers attempted to contact the man, but he immediately ran southbound through an apartment complex. Officers pursued the man on foot for approximately two blocks, but momentarily lost sight of him. San Diego Police Air Support arrived and located the man hiding in a shed in-between two apartment buildings in the 1600 block of Thomas Avenue.
Additional officers, including a K9, arrived and set-up a perimeter around the shed. As the officer gave several verbal commands to surrender, the man suddenly ran from the shed and attempted to jump over an adjoining fence. The K9 was deployed and bit the man on the foot before he broke free and jumped the fence.
The man climbed onto a ledge on the neighboring apartment building and turned towards a police officer while reaching into his pockets. The police officer gave several more verbal commands to show his hands, but the man refused to comply and continued to reach into his pockets, appearing to retrieve something. The officer, believing the man was retrieving a weapon, shot the suspect in the torso.
Additional officers attempted life-saving measures, but the man succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The suspect’s’ identity is known, but will not be released pending family notifications.
The officer involved in this incident has been with the San Diego Police Department for 19 years.
