SAN DIEGO (KGTV)— San Diego Police homicide detectives are looking for the people responsible for shooting and killing a man at an apartment complex in the College area.
Just past 6:15 a.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting right outside the “Iconic at Alvarado” apartments. When officers arrived, they found 39-year-old Ishi Hampton with gunshots wounds to his upper body. Paramedics performed CPR, but Hampton later died at the hospital.
10News spoke to two of Hampton’s close friends. 41-year-old Gerald Johnson said he had been friends with Hampton since the first grade. He said Hampton was always smiling. Another friend admitted Hampton used to live the street life. But he turned his life around in the last few years.
"You start off as youngsters, maybe not having the proper guidance and going the wrong way. Then you correct yourself. If it’s early in life, or later in life. But then something bad still happens to you, so I just think it’s a sad situation,” Johnson said.
His friends said Hampton was rising in the ranks in the construction field, going from laborer to apprentice to machine operator. He was a dedicated father of three: One older child, and younger twins.
Friends also admired his musical skills. They said he was a rising star in the local rap movement, going by the name “Lil_eight.” His Facebook page is now filled with condolences from friends and fans.
Homicide detectives said Thursday morning, Hampton had contact with at least two suspects outside the apartment complex. But at some point, they shot him and ran toward Alvarado Hospital. Witnesses could only give a vague description of the hooded suspects but believe they could be teenagers.
San Diego State University sent out an emergency alert to students, saying the suspects were also wearing blue jeans, one of them ripped. While the men are still outstanding, the school said there is no immediate threat to the campus.
If you have any information on this homicide, contact San Diego Police.
