The San Diego Police Department has released a video of a fatal shooting of a burglary suspect in August who allegedly broke into a Point Loma home and was killed by officers when he came out of the front door holding a gun in his hand.
Police officials released the critical incident video, which is 9 minutes and 12 seconds long, on Friday evening.
Three officers opened fire at Erik Simon Sanders, 24, of Alpine on Aug. 25 as he exited the home on Nipoma Street near Poinsettia Drive after a standoff with SWAT officers that lasted more than three hours, authorities said.
Police had initially responded to the home around 4:40 p.m. that day for a welfare check, a call that was changed to a residential burglary in progress.
Neighbors are seen on the video telling police that Sanders had approached them, said people were trying to kill him and asked them to call police.
One neighbor tells an officer that he saw the man come out of the house with a knife in one hand and a wine bottle in the other and said he “begged him” to call 911 before he re-entered the home.
A second neighbor said he saw the man running from his backyard. He said the man told him: “Help me, help me, someone’s trying to kill me. Call the police.” The neighbor said he told the man he’d call the police, and then he went into his own home and locked all the doors.
Police said they contacted the homeowner whose home was broken into. He told them there were firearms inside the home and that no one had permission to be inside.
Due to the possibility that Sanders was armed with a firearm, police SWAT officers responded and attempted to contact him. They used flashbang explosive devices and called into the home, authorities said earlier.
Point Loma, CA – The house Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in which police shot and killed a suspected burglar in Point Loma, CA. (Luke Johnson / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“SWAT officers used a loudspeaker to direct Sanders to exit the residence with his hands up, but he did not respond,” the video says. “Officers attempted to make contact with Sanders inside the home for several hours, with no response from Sanders.”
Around 9:17 p.m., a shot was heard coming from the home. Several other shots followed.
The video showed the SWAT team discussing options as officers took cover behind an armored vehicle. The video’s audio is redacted, which police said was to shield tactical moves. Dogs are barking in the background.
The video included body-worn camera footage and footage from a drone deployed inside the house. One clip shows a drone outside a closed door as a round is fired through it.
The drone footage shows Sanders coming out of the door and moving toward the home’s front door. In the video, police included a screenshot from the drone footage showing the gun Sanders was holding.
At 9:21 p.m., the three officers discharged their weapons at Sanders. Police said because they were positioned behind the armored vehicle, their chest-mounted cameras did not capture a clear view of Sanders as he exited the home.
“He’s coming to the front door with a gun in his hand,” an officer can be heard saying on body-worn camera footage. As Sanders exits the home, a barrage of gunfire can be heard, and then a pause.
A voice is heard saying, “He’s still moving, he’s still moving,” and then three more shots ring out.
“(Do you) see where the gun’s at?” someone asks on one of the body-worn cameras. A voice replies: “It is still in his hand … but he’s down.”
After the shooting, paramedics responded. Sanders could not be revived and he died around 9:40 p.m., police said in the video. No officers were injured.
Sheriff’s officials earlier identified the police officers who discharged their weapons as Officer Christopher Lingenhol, Officer David Speck and Officer Jose Velasquez.
Lingenhol has been with the department for 12 years and is assigned to patrol at the Mid-City Division. Speck has been with the department for 30 years and is assigned to Special Operations/SWAT. Velasquez has been with the department for nine years and is assigned to patrol at the Central Division.
Lingenhol and Velasquez are also members of the department’s SWAT Primary Response Team.
Lingerhol was previously involved in a fatal police shooting in March 2025 that also involved a second police sniper, Officer Brandon Jordan. The two fatally shot 59-year-old Eric Kulakow during a standoff in Miramar Ranch North. That shooting came after police responded to a 911 call of a man reportedly pointing a gun at people.
Per a countywide agreement, the sheriff’s homicide team is conducting the investigation into the shooting. Once the unit concludes its investigation, the case will be submitted to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office for review to determine whether the involved officers bear any criminal liability.
San Diego police officials also will conduct an administrative review of the shooting.
City News Service contributed to this report.