ESCONDIDO – A man was shot in the head in a possibly gang-related attack in Escondido early Wednesday and later died in a hospital, authorities said.
Officers responding to a report of shots fired in the vicinity of West Ninth Avenue and North Escondido Boulevard around 12:30 a.m. found the 27-year-old victim unresponsive and suffering from an apparent bullet wound to the head, Escondido police Lt. Ed Varso said.
Witnesses told investigators a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt got out of a white, older model four-door compact similar to a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla with three other occupants inside and opened fire on the victim. The suspect then got back into the car, which was last seen headed west in the south alley off Ninth Avenue, according to the lieutenant.
The victim was taken to Palomar Medical Center, and later died from his injuries, Varso said. His name was withheld pending family notification.
Varso said investigators were working to determine a motive for the shooting, but there were early indications it was possibly gang-related.
Anyone with additional information on the shooting was asked to call police at 760-839-4722 or their anonymous tip line at 760-743-8477.
