SANTEE, Calif. (KGTV) — A man suspected of being involved in an assault incident in a Santee neighborhood, which then escalated into a lengthy standoff, was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies during a confrontation, according to the San Diego Police Department.
SDPD officials said deputies were dispatched to the 9000 block of Willowgrove Ave., just before 12 p.m., after the sheriff’s office received reports of a man involved in an assault with a firearm who was making threats.
“Deputies contacted the victims who had fled the scene for their safety. While speaking to the victims, deputies received information that the suspect was at 9016 Willowgrove Avenue and still armed with a handgun. Deputies obtained the suspect’s phone number and attempted to contact him to negotiate a peaceful resolution. The man refused to speak with them and remained barricaded in the residence,” SDPD officials said in a statement.
The sheriff’s Special Enforcement Detail (SED) and Crisis Negotiation Team were sent to the scene and negotiated with the man for several hours, but he declined to exit the home.
At some point during the negotiations, deputies heard a gunshot from inside the home. The SED team entered the house to see if the man needed medical treatment, but they saw he was “further barricading himself," prompting the SED team to send chemical agents into the house.
SDPD officials said the man got out of the house and fired shots at deputies, with some of the rounds hitting an armored vehicle parked in the front of the home.
According to SDPD officials, three deputies opened fire “after the suspect fired rounds at them.”
The suspect was hit by the deputies’ gunfire, and he was later pronounced dead at the scene. Officials did not release the man's identity.
SDPD officials noted the deputies were each wearing body cameras that were activated during the incident.
Per county protocol, the SDPD Homicide Unit is investigating the deputy-involved shooting aspect of the incident.
