Investigators recovered a BB gun from the scene of a police shooting at a San Carlos home that left a man critically injured on Wednesday.
San Diego police said the man was armed and threatened his elderly parents at the home on Bonnie View Drive, south of Wandermere Drive near Lake Murray, before police shot him at least once just after 4 p.m.
On Thursday, it was revealed that the man had a BB gun at the time he was shot.
During a briefing at around 8 p.m., SDPD Captain Rich Freedman said the man, 60, had a loaded handgun and threatened his parents and himself.
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The man's parents, who Capt. Freedman said are in their late 80s to early 90s, called 911.
Police arrived and developed a plan to take the man into custody with less-than-lethal force before approaching the home, but as they moved in the man came into the garage and pointed his gun at officers, Freedman said.
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At least one officer shot the man in the garage and then took him into custody. The man was taken to an area hospital and underwent surgery. He is now in critical condition, according to SDPD.
Freedman could not confirm if San Diego's Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) was called to the scene before the shooting. He was also unsure if there have been previous emergency calls involving the 60-year-old man.
SkyRanger 7 flew over the scene and saw police vehicles surrounding the two-story home. What appeared to be blood could be seen in the driveway.
A neighbor told NBC 7 she thought she heard three gunshots.
"I thought I heard what sounded like gunshots, 3, and again, this neighborhood, I just didn't give it a second thought because I didn't think it was anything," Joyce Muscat said. "I'm so nosy I probably would have come out looking, and then I saw the caution tape just a little bit ago. That's what brought me out."
The name of the sergeant is not being released, the police department said on Thursday. It did, however, describe him as a 14-year veteran of the force who was on the K-9 Unit.
SDPD's Homicide Unit is investigating the incident, which is standard protocol for non-lethal police shootings. Afterward, the county District Attorney's Office will review the department's findings to see if the officer should face criminal liability. An internal affairs unit and Commission on Police Practices will also investigate the matter. The FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office will monitor the investigation.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact the SDPD Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293. Anonymous tips can be made by contacting CrimeStoppers at (888) 580-8477.
