The San Diego Police Department has disclosed bodycam footage from a recent officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a suspect and left a sergeant severely injured outside a 4S Ranch grocery store, KGTV reports. The incident, which unfolded on the night of Dec. 7, began when officers were alerted to a stolen vehicle situated in the shopping center's parking lot; it escalated quickly once the suspect, later identified as Curtis Harris, ran from the Ralphs store, leading to a fatal exchange of gunfire.
In the released footage, the escalation is rapid; three officers are seen entering the Ralphs to confront Harris, and as they called out his name, he ran, initiating a pursuit that ended tragically when Harris, trying to evade capture, fired at Sgt. Anthony Elliott, who was trying to intercept him outside, according to video posted by the San Diego Police Department. The video captured from Elliott's bodycam showed Harris jumping over a barrier and turning to shoot at the unassuming sergeant, who was then grasping at the last threads of safety.
Additional bodycam perspectives revealed the suspect pointing his weapon toward the sergeant before also aiming at other officers; consequently, three officers returned fire, incapacitating Harris. Both the injured sergeant and Harris received immediate medical attention on the scene before being transported to the hospital, where Harris was pronounced dead while Sgt. Elliott underwent emergency surgery for his head wound and remains under medical care.
Harris, who faced active investigations not only for vehicle theft but also for an unserved emergency protective order in connection to a domestic abuse case, has now become the subject of a San Diego County Sheriff's Department inquiry into the shooting, as reported by KGTV. In the meantime, support for Sgt. Elliott has poured in through a fundraiser organized by the Peace Officers Research Association of California, raising upwards of $32,000 to aid in his recovery and to provide support for his family during this tumultuous time.
