Police released details Thursday about an officer-involved shooting that left a 61-year-old Rancho Penasquitos man hospitalized.
The events that led to the shooting began shortly before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, when the San Diego Police Department got a 911 call reporting a possible case of domestic violence occurring in the 8500 block of Celtic Court, Lt. Matt Dobbs said.
During the call, a dispatcher “could hear a male voice make comments about wanting to be shot by police” and determined that the man making the statements might be armed with a gun, Dobbs said.
After officers arrived in the neighborhood just west of Black Mountain Open Space Park and began making a plan to address the apparently volatile situation, an emergency operator heard what sounded like a struggle inside the home.
Spotting a man and woman on the front porch of the house, the patrol personnel moved in so they could separate and detain them for questioning. The then saw the man stand up, pull a revolver from his waistband and begin to raise it in their direction, prompting one of them to fire a single round at him from his service firearm.
Paramedics took the man to a trauma center, where he was admitted for emergency surgery. His identity and an update on his condition were unavailable Thursday afternoon.
Investigators determined that the woman present at the home with the man at the time of the shooting is his wife, Dobbs said. No injuries to her or to the officers who responded to the dispute were reported.
The SDPD Homicide Unit and the department’s internal-affairs division will investigate the case, as is standard protocol in instances of officer- involved shootings. The District Attorney’s Office ultimately will determine if the officer who fired on the suspect will bear any criminal liability for doing so.
— City News Service