Authorities on Thursday publicly identified three officers who fatally shot a robbery suspect after he allegedly threatened a store clerk with a knife at a Morena market.
The suspect, police said, had taken another man hostage and was holding the blade to his neck when confronted by police.
San Diego police officers Michael Howells, Matthew Steinbach and Justin Tellam opened fire on the suspect, whose identity has not been released, at a transient camp in Mission Valley, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
The department investigates shootings involving San Diego police personnel under the terms of a regional agreement designed to prevent conflicts of interest.
The events that led to the shooting began shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday, when the suspect allegedly walked out of a store in the 1000 block of Morena Boulevard without paying for merchandise.
A short time later, police spotted a man matching the alleged robber’s description carrying a knife in the 5300 block of Napa Street. When officers ordered him to halt, he refused, prompting them to try to subdue him with an electric stun gun.
When that attempt failed, the suspect ran off, and officers gave chase.
The pursuit ended at a nearby squatters’ camp in the 5300 block of Friars Road, where the suspect allegedly grabbed a bystander and threatened to stab him, prompting Howells, Steinbach and Tellam to open fire.
The suspect died at the scene. His name has been withheld pending family notification.
Howells has been employed by the San Diego Police Department for 18 months, Steinbach for 12 years and Tellam for 6 1/2 years, officials said.
The police shooting was the first of two to occur in San Diego within a roughly 24-hour period.
At about 11 p.m. Sunday, Officer Robert Gladysz shot domestic-assault suspect Steffon Nutall, 29. The suspect survived and faces multiple charges.
– City News Service