Early last Wednesday, a routine collision report in Chula Vista escalated to a fatal police shooting, leaving one man dead. As confirmed by the City of San Diego's official announcement, the Chula Vista Police Department responded to a traffic incident at Marina Parkway and Sandpiper Way around 1:01 a.m., finding a damaged white sedan and its driver, 50-year-old Moises Colunga Jr.
Colunga Jr. did not comply with instructions to shut off the vehicle and exit and instead was seen reaching within it. Officers prepared to use less lethal options like pepper balls to extract him safely. After nearly half an hour of attempts to negotiate, the situation took a dire turn when Colunga Jr. appeared with a firearm and discharged it in the officers' direction.
In the ensuing exchange, a Chula Vista Police Sergeant, identified as Patrick Alvarez, a 23-year veteran with the department, returned fire, striking Colunga Jr. in the torso. Once incapacitated, officers provided first aid until medics arrived. Colunga Jr. was transported to a local hospital but later pronounced dead. Notably, no officers suffered injury from the gunfire, and a firearm was indeed recovered at the scene.
The follow-up to such incidents is meticulously comprehensive. As standard protocol dictates, the San Diego Police Homicide Unit is to investigate the shooting now. Additionally, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office will review the Sergeant's actions to determine any potential criminal liability, alongside an administrative probe by Chula Vista Police. Federal oversight is expected as the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Attorney’s Office are set to monitor the ongoing investigations.
With the inquiry still active, the public is urged to contribute any relevant information. Anyone with details on the matter should contact the San Diego Police Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or tip Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
