A man, 31, who was arguing in the street with his roommate was shot to death by an undercover officer on Thursday afternoon, according to police.
The incident took place on Adams Avenue near the intersection of Hawley Boulevard at around 3 p.m. Police said the fight began between the two men in their condo nearby and spilled out into the street. A worker at a nearby service station called police at that time, but before any patrol cars arrived, an undercover officer who happened to be in the area tried to break up the fight.
Police said one of the men tried to choke the officer.
One witness described the situation, "He was going towards the officer. He got him in a headlock."
The officer fired one shot from his weapon, hitting the suspect in the torso.
The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police said the man who was shot appeared to have a metal object that he was threatening his roommate with. Investigators said they consider that object to be a weapon but that they are still investigating the incident.
After the shooting, investigators questioned nearly a dozen witnesses outside a nearby 7-Eleven, and also questioned the officer at the scene.
"We're kind of used to some of this on the street," a neighborhood resident said, "but nothing of this caliber."
The officer is an 18 year veteran of the San Diego Police Department. He suffered minor injuries during the struggle, but did not require immediate medical attention.
The detective has been placed on administrative assignment until the investigation is complete.
