A man was behind bars Wednesday on suspicion of shooting his mother to death at a beach just south of Crystal Pier, authorities reported.
Daniel Caldera, 27, was arrested at about 11 a.m. Tuesday in the death of his 65-year-old mother, who was found mortally wounded off the western terminus of Reed Avenue in Pacific Beach roughly 10 1/2 hours earlier, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Patrol officers responding to a report of an injured person at about 12:30 a.m. found the woman suffering from at least one gunshot wound to her upper body, with good Samaritans trying to render aid, SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said.
Paramedics took the victim to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her name has been withheld pending family notification.
Police have not disclosed what led detectives to conclude that Caldera, who was taken into custody a few blocks from the site of the slaying, allegedly shot his mother to death.
Caldera was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
City News Service contributed to this article.