Updated at 6:40 p.m. Oct. 20, 2015
Two motorcycle officers shot a man, fatally wounding him, when he allegedly pulled a gun on them while fleeing on foot through the Gaslamp District on Tuesday afternoon.
The 39-year-old suspect bolted when one of the officers tried to contact him about making a disturbance near Horton Plaza about 2 p.m., according to San Diego police.
The man ran to the south on Sixth Avenue, ignoring repeated orders to halt, Lt. Paul Rorrison told reporters. After turning to the east on F Street, the suspect allegedly pulled a large pistol out of his waistband and pointed it back toward his pursuers.
Fearing for their lives, the officers opened fire on the man, who fell onto the roadway, Rorrison said. He then began to sit up and raise the weapon again, prompted them to shoot him again, the lieutenant said.
Medics took the man to UCSD Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. His name was withheld pending family notification.
Police shut down the intersection where the shooting occurred along with nearby traffic lanes to allow detectives to gather evidence. The closures were ongoing in the late afternoon.
The officers involved in the shooting did not activate their uniform- worn cameras before or during the encounter, the captain told news crews in response to a question on the topic. It was unclear why they failed to follow that department procedure, which is supposed to take place prior to all citizen contacts.
—City News Service
