A U.S. Marine died Friday of stab wounds suffered during a fight in the Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego police confirmed.
Officers put up crime scene tape at the intersection of 6th and Island as they investigates the fatal stabbing that occurred around 1:30 a.m.
Someone called 911 and reported a fight at 500 Island Avenue, near the Omnia nightclub.
One witness said there was a lot of commotion and he saw a man holding his neck.
According to police, a man was stabbed in the upper torso and, despite the attempts of passersby to help, the man died at the scene.
SDPD Homicide Lt. Todd Griffin confirmed the deceased was a U.S. Marine based at Camp Pendleton. His identity has not been released pending notification of family, Griffin said.
The victim was assigned to the 1st Marine Logistics Group, military officials told NBC 7.
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Another area at J Street and 6th Avenue where a second victim was stabbed was also blocked off by police.
The second victim's wounds were described as not life-threatening and he was taken to a nearby hospital, police said.
Griffin said both victims were in the Gaslamp as part of a group of military personnel. However, the second victim is a civilian, Griffin said.
Nearby Omnia nightclub was not open Thursday evening, an employee said, but the club was cooperating with police in their investigation.
Muhammad Kemi has lived in the area for three years and said he was surprised to see violence like this in his neighborhood.
“It’s sad to see like that,” Kemi said.
Kemi drives a taxi for a living and was just returning home from his shift.
“Fighting is not worth it,” he said. “Life is precious, you know? It’s not worth it.”
Officers were collecting evidence as well as photographing witnesses.
“There’s quite a bit of video surveillance to go through. There are a lot of cameras and we’re discovering more as we’re moving through the day and finding open businesses,” Griffin said.
He said the police will continue working on the case until justice can be brought to the victims and families.
No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information can call the SDPD Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
