San Diego police are looking for a suspect who opened fire on two men at the downtown Central Library Tuesday, killing one and injuring the other.
The shooting was reported around 12:15 p.m., according to the San Diego Police Department Homicide Lt. Judd Campbell. Officers responded and found two victims, both men in their 20s. One was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the other died there at the scene, Lt. Campbell said.
The shooting started in the foyer of the library and may have spilled out into the street near the entrance, according to Campbell.
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Witnesses who lived nearby said they heard at least three gunshots in the area, then several more as a suspect fled the scene.
"I stood up and looked out my window and saw the shooter run out from the library and shot about 4-5 more rounds down 11th and that’s when I called 911," Jordan Williams, who lives in apartments near the library said. "He had a silver handgun in his hand and I saw the bullets fly out of the gun and just shoot the rounds down 11th."
Campbell did not confirm how many shots were fired. He described the subject only as a man wearing dark clothing. No weapon has been recovered, according to Campbell.
Another witness told NBC 7 a man wearing a neon pink ski mask was trying to steal backpacks from people in the library. Other witnesses said they saw a suspect fire several shots on 11th Avenue before he took off on K Street, where he dropped the mask.
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Campbell confirmed a pink mask found near the scene was picked up as evidence. Detectives are working to gather security footage from nearby businesses, and MTS is helping SDPD by looking at security footage to see if the suspect got on a bus or trolley in the area, Campbell said.
Another resident named Michael said he heard three gunshots and when he went outside to see what was going on, two men were lying injured on the ground.
"The security guards around the library came over to the victims, and fire department started performing CPR on the victim as he lost consciousness," the witness named Michael said. He saw medics transport one person to the hospital but the other died at the scene.
The man who died has not been identified. He was 20 years old. The injured man is 24 years old and is expected to survive, according to Campbell.
Details on what led up to the violence were not immediately clear. Campbell said the suspect and victims had an interaction in the foyer before shots were fired, but detectives are still working put together a timeline of events.
A group of frazzled people were gathered outside the library trying to talk to police.
The San Diego Central Library said it will be closed for the remainder of the day and all scheduled events have been canceled. Campbell said investigators will stay at the scene for as long as necessary.
The investigation is ongoing.
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