A shooting near Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach left one person dead early Monday, and as of the latest update from police, no suspects have been arrested. The gunfire erupted around 2 a.m. near Mission Boulevard and Garnet Avenue, one of the busiest intersections in the beach community, sending traffic restrictions into effect while investigators worked the scene.
The San Diego Police Department is investigating the deadly shooting, according to 10News. Police said one person was taken to the hospital, where they died from their injuries. The outlet reported that no suspects are in custody based on the latest information available from investigators, and that traffic restrictions remained in place in the area while the investigation continued.
A Familiar, Painful Backdrop for Pacific Beach
This is not the first time gunfire has turned deadly in this stretch of Pacific Beach. In September 2022, 65-year-old Mary Garcia was fatally shot on the beach near Reed Avenue, south of Crystal Pier, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Garcia was taken to a hospital, where she died, and the investigation eventually linked a suspect driving a red Jeep Wrangler to evidence including clothing, shell casings and an empty gun case found at a home on Garnet Avenue.
Pacific Beach has also seen non-fatal gun incidents in recent memory. Four people were detained after an alleged pellet-gun shooting from a vehicle near Crystal Pier, the same news organization reported, and other drive-by pellet-gun shootings have reportedly occurred in San Diego-area beach neighborhoods in recent weeks. Those earlier episodes did not involve the firearm used in Monday's shooting, but they underscore how often this small strip of coastline has drawn police attention.
Citywide Numbers Offer an Uncertain Picture
Zooming out, a City of San Diego crime-statistics report indicates non-fatal shootings citywide dropped from 121 in 2024 to 96 in 2025, a 21 percent decrease, while aggravated assaults fell by nearly 4 percent over the same period. Those figures come from a broader municipal accounting and do not speak specifically to trends in Pacific Beach, so it is unclear how Monday's shooting fits into the neighborhood's own trajectory.
For now, the basic facts remain limited: a shooting near one of the city's most recognizable beach landmarks, one person dead, and investigators still searching for whoever pulled the trigger. Hoodline will continue to follow the investigation as police release additional information.
