A man died Friday morning in City Heights after getting stuck inside a bin that holds donations located just feet away from a police department building.
Just before 7:15 a.m., a witness called authorities to report a man wedged inside a metal container at University Avenue and Shiloh Road, steps away from the San Diego Police Department’s (SDPD) Multi-Cultural Community Relations building.
When San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) officials arrived, they opened the donation bin and discovered the man was dead. Police said the man had gotten stuck inside the container from his chest up.
The donation bin, marked "Clothing & Shoes," is positioned near several dumpsters in a shopping center parking lot that's approximately one block away from the San Diego Rescue Mission, a nonprofit homeless shelter and recovery center that's been helping locals in need for more than six decades.
News Chopper 7 video showed the open bin as officials sifted through clothing donations and tagged evidence. Police cordoned the container and a small section of the parking lot during the investigation.
The San Diego Medical Examiner arrived at the scene Friday morning to pick up the man's body; an autopsy will determine his cause and manner of death.
The SDPD said, at this point, foul play is not suspected in the man's death. It is unclear how long he was in the bin before he died.
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The victim's name was not immediately released. Police said the man is in his 40s and appears to have been homeless. NBC 7 spoke with a woman at the scene who said the victim was a friend of those who live in a nearby encampment.
No other information was available.
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