Authorities have publicly identified a man who was fatally shot by members of a San Diego County sheriff’s SWAT team last weekend when he allegedly opened fire on them at the end of a standoff near Carlton Oaks Country Club.
Michael Redding, 55, died at the scene early Sunday evening, according to the San Diego Police Department, which investigates uses of lethal force on the part of local sheriff’s personnel under terms of a countywide agreement designed to prevent conflicts of interest.
The events that led to the deadly encounter began shortly before noon that day, when the Sheriff’s Office received a report that Redding was armed with a handgun and threatening people at a home in the 9000 block of Willowgrove Avenue in Santee, SDPD Lt. Arturo Swadener said.
When deputies arrived, the alleged victims, who had fled the home, told them that Redding had also left and was now at another residence on the same block.
“Deputies obtained the suspect’s phone number and attempted to contact him to negotiate a peaceful resolution,” Swadener said. “(Redding) refused to speak with them and … barricaded (himself) in the residence.”
Sheriff’s officials then sent in crisis negotiators and the department’s special weapons and tactics unit, and the personnel collectively tried for hours to persuade Redding to peacefully surrender, to no avail.
“During the negotiations, a gunshot was heard from inside the residence,” Swadener said. “Fearing the suspect may have shot himself, (the SWAT team) breached the door and used a drone in an attempt to locate him and see if he needed medical aid. They saw the suspect was further barricading himself and deployed chemical agents into the house.”
Finally, at about 7 p.m., Redding walked out of the front door of the home and allegedly fired a shot in in the direction of sheriff’s personnel. At that point, Deputies Kevin McCauley, Parker Robbins and Luke Vories returned fire, mortally wounding the suspect.
The rounds that Redding had fired struck an armored law enforcement vehicle parked in front of the residence, causing no injuries, according to police.
McCauley, Robbins and Vories have been with the Sheriff’s Office for nine, seven and 13 years, respectively.
