A Harbor Police Officer was injured and a man was killed in a confrontation near a popular hotel in Point Loma Wednesday.
At least one person was killed in the 4800 block of North Harbor Drive near Nimitz Boulevard near the Holiday Inn.
Harbor Police officer noticed a man looking into cars around 10:45 p.m. and stopped his patrol car on the north side of the street.
The suspect crossed over the street in front of the Holiday Inn and immediately attacked the officer.
“A struggle ensued. They both went to the ground,” said Lt. Paul Rorrison with San Diego Police Homicide.
The officer initially deployed his taser. Both men were struck by the taser. It's possible the suspect held the taser at one point, Rorrison said.
“The suspect used both his hands and attempted to take the officer’s handgun,” Rorrison said.
The officer was able to break free, he said, and the suspect again charged the officer.
That’s when investigators said the officer fired his service gun, striking the suspect in the torso and killing him.
Harbor Police responded and initiated CPR and other treatment following the shooting, officials said.
The officer suffered moderate injuries including abrasions and contusions, Rorrison said.
The homicide investigator said security personnel at the Holiday Inn had ejected the same man from their lobby for causing a disturbance earlier in the evening.
Local
San Diego Police homicide investigators and the county's medical examiner were called to the scene. The names of those involved have not been released.
Erin Marciel, who lives near the scene of the shooting, said her nephew just came home when they heard a crack while standing outside.
Marciel looked up and saw a man with a gun standing over a body on the ground.
"The way the police officer reacted after, he literally collapsed on the curb," she said. "I don't know if he was distraught or what. It was hard to watch him too."
Wednesday evening, the Port of San Diego's President Randa Congilio and Chairman Dan Malcolm sent out the following statement:
“A man has lost his life and an officer has been hospitalized, and on behalf of the entire Port of San Diego, our sympathies go out to everyone involved in this tragedy. We take this rare incident extremely seriously, and we are participating in the independent, ongoing investigation by the San Diego Police Department. The San Diego Harbor Police Department has an excellent track record of service to the community.”
