CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) – An investigation was launched into an officer-involved shooting at a Chula Vista strip mall that left a man dead Sunday evening.
According to a San Diego Police Department statement, the incident occurred at around 8:20 p.m. in the 1100 block of Broadway.
Chula Vista Police responded to multiple calls in the 1100 block of Broadway claiming that a woman was screaming for help as a man was hitting her in the parking lot outside of a Walmart store, according to SDPD officials.
CVPD officers responded and located the suspect callers identified as a man wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, walking with a wheelchair, and hitting cars with his hands and parts from the wheelchair. One caller noted that the man was standing next to a black truck in a shopping center parking lot, according to police.
A canine officer arrived at the scene and located the suspect standing next to the parked truck in the parking lot. As the officer began to make contact, he noticed the man was holding a knife, according to authorities.
While police asked the suspect to drop his weapon, the man climbed into the bed of the pickup, crouched down, and began hitting the back windows of the truck, police reported. It was later determined the truck did not belong to the suspect.
The suspect then jumped back out of the truck and began approaching the officer with the knife in his hand, police reported.
According to San Diego Police, the knife-wielding man approached the officer even after the officer “gave the male commands to stop.” As the man continued towards the officer, the officer “fired his service weapon at the man, striking him multiple times," police said.
Officers began life-saving efforts until paramedics arrived, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified as a 32-year-old white male from Chula Vista.
No other injuries were reported.
According to SDPD officials, the officer involved in the incident has been with the Chula Vista Police Department for about five years.
Per the Countywide Memorandum of Understanding, the SDPD's Homicide Unit was called to the scene to conduct the investigation. When the Homicide Unit completes its investigation, it will be reviewed by the San Diego County District Attorney's Office to determine if the officers bear any criminal liability for their actions, according to authorities.
The Chula Vista Police Department will conduct an administrative investigation into the officers' discharge of their firearm.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Attorney's Office will also be monitoring the investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the SDPD Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
City News Service contributed to this report
