Three people and a police K-9 were injured Wednesday morning in an officer-involved shooting near El Cajon Boulevard and Oregon Street after officers confronted a suspect accused of trying to set a North Park business on fire, according to NBC 7 San Diego. The police dog was burned, and at least one injured person was taken to a hospital.
Police responded shortly after 9 a.m. to a disturbance-of-peace call near El Cajon Boulevard and Oregon Street, according to 10News. Officers described the suspect as violent and pursued him on foot after arriving, the station reported.
According to the 10News account, the suspect broke vehicle windows during the pursuit before entering an adult emporium. Police allege that he was carrying a torch and flammable liquid and tried to ignite the building.
Confrontation and injuries
Officers first used bean-bag rounds and later fired their guns, according to the station's report. During the confrontation, the suspect burned a police K-9, which was taken to an emergency veterinary hospital for treatment.
San Diego Fire-Rescue reported that one injured person was taken to a hospital. Available reports identified three injured people overall but did not detail the identities or conditions of those hurt or the suspect's status after the shooting.
What Remains Unclear
Available reporting did not establish whether the suspect was arrested, injured or remains at large. It also did not explain the circumstances immediately before or after officers deployed bean-bag rounds and fired their weapons. The identities of the officers involved, the K-9 and the veterinary hospital treating the dog had not been released.
How the shooting is reviewed
According to San Diego Police Department Procedure 1.43, the SDPD Homicide Unit investigates officer-involved shootings within the city. The procedure also states that cases in which a person is injured, killed or fired upon by SDPD personnel are subject to Internal Affairs review and submission to the Community Review Board for review. As historical context rather than a measure of current-year frequency, the Community Review Board's fiscal year 2017 annual report says it reviewed 95 officer-involved shooting cases over the preceding 11 years, an average of 10 cases per year.
Further details about the incident and any findings concerning the officers' use of force were not available at the time of publication.
