At least four windows on the back side of an apartment in Skyline were blown out during a deadly confrontation on Wednesday night that took the life of a veteran officer and two people inside the home.
Officer Chris Wilson, a 17-year veteran of the force, died Thursday morning from wounds suffered in a shootout with suspects holed up inside the apartment.
The incident began on Wednesday at about 10:45 p.m. when federal agents assisted by San Diego police officers went to the apartment unit looking for two men, one of them on a probation check. The other man was wanted for an alleged assault with a deadly weapon.
After breaking down the door, the officers took the first man into custody, but the other man and three other people were barricaded in a bedroom, according to investigators. When the officers went back in to clear the unit, shots were fired -- so many that it sent people in other units running for cover.
After an overnight standoff with SWAT officers, two of the people, a man and a woman, came out voluntarily. San Diego police Lt. Andra Brown said at 5 p.m. on Thursday that those two people were released from custody. She added that at this point, they face no charges and their names will not be released.
The other two, also a man and a woman, were eventually found dead in one of the unit's two back bedrooms.
The man who died inside the apartment is Ho Lim Lee, according to multiple law enforcement sources. Court records reveal that Lee, 30, was on probation, following a guilty plea two years ago in a robbery and burglary case. However, Lee had allegedly violated probation, and a warrant for his arrest was issued last week. It's not clear at this time if he was also being sought by officers in connection with the assault with a deadly weapon allegation.
In a letter to a judge, Lee's mother asked for leniency for her son, explaining that he had a drug problem when he committed that robbery in 2008.
It's not known if Lee fired the shots that killed Officer Wilson.
On Thursday, Lim's family released the following statement.
"We are horrified by the circumstances. Our family wants to give Officer Chris Wilson's family our deepest condolences. We are also mourning, and we are so sorry this happened."
Lee also had misdemeanor charges for petty theft, conspiracy and tampering with a vehicle. Documents also show that Lee served in the U.S. Coast Guard, and lived with his family here in San Diego.
