Homicide investigators are investigating after a dead body was found in the middle of a baseball field at the Allied Gardens Recreation Center, San Diego Police (SDPD) confirmed.
A citizen first reported the unconscious shortly before 7 a.m. when he spotted the man, lying on the field on the 5100 block of Greenbrier Avenue, police said. The location is near Lewis Middle School, which sent out a note to parents Monday morning letting them know what happened.
When police arrived on scene, they found the man, in his 30s, laying on his back. He was pronounced dead on scene. Police have identified the man, but have not been able to reach his family.
At first, police said there were no obvious signs of trauma. But after closer examination, they found a small, potential wound in his torso area. Authorities also recovered a cell phone on scene.
Police called a homicide unit to the scene; the death is being investigated as suspicious.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's office will conduct an autopsy and determine the cause of death.
Meanwhile, activities at the recreation center will resume as normal. After 12 p.m., the field will reopen.
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Residents in the area say they were shocked to learn of the news Monday morning.
"We walk here all the time. It's quiet. You see there's not many people here so that's why we come here," said Del Cerro resident Colleen Shockey. "This is a shock. It's surprising. I'm a little nervous to hear this. It's scary."
Allied Gardens resident Ernie Gilbrandt said the surrounding area is a nice neighborhood, but there are some homeless people in the area who do drugs and drink, so it was not totally unexpected.
"I mean, it's always been a nice area. And certainly this is going to get the attention of a lot of locals around here that live here and it's probably going to put some people on edge," Filbrandt said.
Investigators are searching for witnesses. Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to call the San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
No other information was immediately available.
Check back for updates on this breaking news story.
