Police shot and killed a man after the suspect was seen allegedly wielding a firearm on the grounds of Fay Elementary School in City Heights on Tuesday morning.
The shooting happened near the intersection of Orange Avenue and 51st Street, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Police received a report at about 6:45 a.m. about a trespasser sitting on the property of Fay Elementary on 52nd Street with a gun next to him and a knife in his hand, SDPD public-affairs Lt. Travis Easter told reporters.
A short time later, officers located the man on nearby Orange.
“Upon (arrival) … they performed de-escalation efforts to contact the (suspect), (but) those efforts were not successful, and it ultimately resulted in a shooting,” Easter said.
No officers were injured. Lifesaving measures were attempted, but the man died at the scene.
The lieutenant said he could release no further information because the investigation in the case had been assumed by state Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office under terms of state Assembly Bill 1506.
The 2020 law requires the California Department of Justice to investigate officer-involved gunfire resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian.
Neither the SDPD nor Bonta’s office responded to messages seeking clarification on the decision regarding jurisdiction in the case since police officials reported that the suspect was armed.
It was unclear why the suspect allegedly carried the weapon onto school grounds, the SDPD said earlier. They also had said that the suspect was fleeing from the school at the time of the shooting.
The number of officers involved in the shooting has not been released.
Updated 5:55 p.m. Sept. 23, 2025
