The community this week remembered the security guard killed Monday by a gunman near Crystal Pier while police continued to investigate his death.
Julie Neal, co-owner of Crystal Pier Hotel in Pacific Beach, was on the scene shortly after the shooting early Monday and said she was familiar with the guard, who was 31. The beach community, she said, is heartbroken.
“I just see him at night here. The guests loved him, he loved to talk to everybody,” Neal said.
The scene, she said, was chaotic, as some people left 710 Beach Club and tried to chase down the suspect, but were unable to catch the person.
According to the San Diego Police Department, several people called 911 around 2 a.m. after hearing gunshots in the 4500 block of Ocean Boulevard. While some people pursued the suspect, other employees from a nearby bar found the victim and began CPR while waiting for first responders.
According to SDPD, officers and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department arrived on scene shortly afterward. Medics took the man to a hospital, where he died.
Detectives confirmed the victim was unarmed and working at Crystal Pier at the time of the shooting. His identity is being withheld until his family could be notified.
There is no known motive and no suspect in custody, police said. The SDPD’s Homicide Unit is gathering witness statements and surveillance videos from nearby businesses, according to the department.
Neal said the community is cooperating, pulling together to look at camera footage for any information they can give to investigators. She said she is confident that the police will find the perpetrator.
She added that she will join others who want to help the guard’s family once everything settles down.
“PB, you know, it’s a big area. But down here at the beach, we all look out for one another,” Neal said.
Police said they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public. The area in was closed for most of Monday morning, then reopened.
Investigators asked that anyone with information about the shooting call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
