Several San Diego police officers fatally shot a man after he threatened to kill his mother and set an apartment on fire in downtown San Diego’s Cortez Hill neighborhood Tuesday, investigators said.
Officers received a report from building management that a man had threatened to kill his mother at the Cedar Gateway apartment complex on Sixth Avenue near Cedar Street around 1:05 p.m., said sheriff’s Lt. Juan Marquez.
Marquez said the man was armed with a knife, but his mother escaped the apartment with minor injuries. She then asked building management to call police.
When officers arrived, her son reportedly barricaded himself inside the apartment using furniture to block the door. He began throwing items, including a television, microwave and other kitchen appliances, out a fourth-story window, Marquez said. One of the items struck a police SUV, shattering the window and damaging the side-view mirror.
The man also threw items out the front door at officers who had made their way into the building’s stairwell, Marquez said. One of the items struck an officer, who was uninjured.
At some point, the man allegedly started a fire in one of the rooms of the apartment, forcing officers to evacuate the building, Marquez said. A sprinkler system was able to extinguish the blaze, but the apartment was damaged by the water, the investigator said.
Items thrown from an apartment window litter the street below on Cedar Street and 6th Avenue on Tuesday. (Luke Johnson / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Several officers forced their way into the apartment, and the officers opened fire at some point, Marquez said. He did not say what prompted them to shoot. The officers performed lifesaving measures until paramedics could transport the suspect to a hospital, where he died about 30 minutes later, the lieutenant said.
His name was not released.
First responders wheel the suspect to an ambulance at the corner of Cedar Street and 6th Avenue on Tuesday. (Luke Johnson / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Firefighters went into the building to ensure the blaze was fully extinguished. Residents inside the building were told the building would remain closed overnight, and the Red Cross was called to connect residents with temporary housing.
Lena Kincade, who lives in the apartment above where the fire began, said she heard a commotion and, at first, thought it might have been someone out on the street.
“I heard a woman screaming, but then I saw this guy begin throwing items out of his window. A microwave and then other household items,” Kincade said. “And then police came to my door because he started a fire in his apartment.”
It was not immediately clear what circumstances led up to the man threatening his mother, or if he was armed at the time of the shooting, Marquez said.
The Sheriff’s Office is handling the investigation under a reciprocal agreement with San Diego police, so neither department investigates its own officers or deputies in on-duty shootings.
No other information was immediately available.
Staff photographer Luke Johnson contributed to this report.