SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- A man displaying a firearm was shot by officers in a canyon near an Otay Mesa high school Thursday morning, San Diego police said.
The incident was reported at around 6 a.m. in the 600 block of Beyer Way, just east of Montgomery High School, according to SDPD officials.
Police said two officers with the department’s Neighborhood Policing division were in a canyon off Beyer Way as part of a pre-planned initiative to make contact with homeless individuals at an encampment and offer resources when the shooting occurred.
According to police, the officers made contact with a man at the encampment, but he displayed a handgun during the interaction.
The officers ordered the man to put down his weapon, but he refused. Fearing for their safety, the officers opened fire and struck the man, police said.
It is unknown how many shots were fired and how many times the man was hit. The man’s handgun was recovered by police.
After providing medical aid in the canyon, responding emergency crews transported the injured man to the hospital.
The man’s condition is unknown, but police described his injuries as non-life threatening.
The officers were not injured, police said, but will likely be placed on administrative leave during the investigation -- a step that is part of the department’s protocol, officials said.
Beyer Way at Palm Avenue was shut down due to the investigation but was reopened by 7:15 a.m.
Police said because the investigation was centered in the canyon, and they did not believe it would impact activity at Montgomery High.
However, police said students would not be able to access the campus through Beyer Way.
10News learned morning sessions at Montgomery High’s Adult School and Head Start programs were canceled, but classes were scheduled to resume at 4:30 p.m.
