SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The San Diego Police officer who was shot in the arm in Chollas Creek has returned home from the hospital, SDPD Chief David Nisleit announced during a Friday afternoon press conference.
Chief Nisleit called on the public to help SDPD find and identify the suspect. Specifically, he asked for surveillance video from homes and businesses where the shooting happened, nearby Ogden Street and Shiloh Road.
"I’m asking for people to do the right thing. This is a person that shot a police officer, and if he’s willing to shoot a police officer, I guarantee you he’s willing to shoot somebody else," Chief Nisleit says.
The officer was wearing a body camera during the shooting, and the chief provided a basic description of the suspect garnered from the video: A Hispanic man, possibly in his 30s, wearing a gray top and dark pants or shorts.
The officer's identity was not revealed during the press conference; however, the chief says he was hired in July 2021 and only recently started patrolling on the street after graduating from the academy and undergoing training.
Chief Nisleit says all officers are aware about the dangers of the job, but recent incidents are a reminder of that reality. Another San Diego police officer was shot in Dec. 2022, and Nisleit says there have been four other instances in which suspects fired at officers over the last 10 months.
“We’re seeing more and more assaults against officers across the country, and it’s gotta stop," Chief Nisleit says. "These officers are out there providing protection and making our communities safe, and this is the response. It has to stop. I’m fed up with it to be honest with you.”
Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Chief Nisleit says the reward may be increased.
You can watch the full press conference below.
Below, you'll find a report about the search for the suspect.
SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego Police, SWAT officers and San Diego County sheriff's deputies on Friday continued to search for the gunman who shot an officer in the arm in a Chollas Creek-area neighborhood.
The shooting was reported shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday in the area of Ogden Street and Shiloh Road, said Lt. Matthew Carpenter of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, which was called in to assist police with the search for the assailant.
The officer, who was investigating an auto-theft report at the time of the shooting, was hospitalized and was expected to survive, according to SDPD officials.
RELATED: SDPD officer shot, search launched for "armed and dangerous" man in Chollas Creek
Law enforcement officers fanned out through the neighborhood near 54th Street and University Avenue in search of the shooter, described as man, roughly 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds, with a bald head. He was believed to be wearing a gray sweatshirt, according to police.
As of early Friday morning, the assailant remained at large.
An SDPD watch commander told ABC 10News reporter Marie Coronel on Friday morning that the officer was due to be released from the hospital on Thursday night, but it was unclear if the officer was discharged.
The watch commander reiterated that the officer is in “good spirits.”
Details on the events that led up to the shooting were not available.
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