San Diego has once again become the backdrop for an officer-involved shooting that left a 20-year-old man dead. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office reported that the incident occurred on the 300 block of 31st Street when a witness alerted a patrolling San Diego Police Sergeant to a Hispanic male sitting in a blue Ford Fusion, allegedly brandishing what looked like a black revolver, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers performed a high-risk stop of the vehicle, removing a female companion from the car. The male subject, however, remained inside and was reportedly uncooperative with the officers' commands. After approximately 40 minutes of negotiation, the situation took a deadly turn when the subject pointed the object, which officers believed to be a firearm, out of the car window. Five officers and a sergeant responded by discharging their firearms at the man inside the vehicle, as detailed by Hoodline.
The man, later identified as Kevin Garcia Gonzalez, was immediately given life-saving measures by the officers before being transported to a local hospital. He did not survive his injuries. Subsequent investigations by Sheriff's Homicide Detectives found not a real gun but a BB gun that resembled a revolver inside the vehicle. No members of San Diego's law enforcement were injured during the fatal encounter.
Current inquiries into the shooting are exhaustive. The San Diego County District Attorney's Office will review the San Diego County Sheriff's Homicide Unit's findings to decide if there is any criminal liability on the part of the officers involved. The San Diego Police Department will also conduct an administrative review of the officers who fired their weapons. The circumstances that led up to the tragic event are still being pieced together as detectives work to understand the motive behind Gonzalez's actions. The Department of Justice has been notified but declined to respond, while the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office are monitoring the investigation. The public is encouraged to come forward with any relevant information, with the option to remain anonymous through Crime Stoppers by calling (888) 580-8477.
