A 29-year-old man was fatally shot Friday during a predawn confrontation with a group of people near Petco Park, police said.
Patrol officers responding to a report of gunfire found the victim on the roadside in the 300 block of Seventh Avenue, suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body, according to the San Diego Police Department.
The man, whose name was withheld pending family notification, died at the scene.
“It is still early in the investigation, and little is known about the circumstances leading up to the (victim’s) death,” SDPD Lt. Steve Shebloski said. “However, detectives have learned the victim had a brief verbal confrontation with the (shooter) and members of his group in the area of 600 L Street immediately preceding the shooting.”
Following the gunfire, some members of the killer’s group fled in a white Jeep SUV while two others were believed to have run into a nearby multi-story parking garage.
Police stopped an SUV matching the description of the getaway vehicle in the 300 block of Fifth Avenue and detained a man and two women for questioning, along with a second man on foot believed to possibly have been with the other three.
Officers, meanwhile, surrounded the building where the other two suspects were believed to be hiding and called in a SWAT team. After several hours, the personnel were able to thoroughly check the parking structure, determining that the pair of men they were looking for were not there.
– City News Service
Updated 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20, 2023