A 79-year-old man who died Tuesday morning after a shooting in Bay-Ho, which prompted a large police response at a McDonald's in Pacific Beach, may have been the victim of a carjacking attempt, according to police.
The man, who has not yet been identified, was believed to be an employee at a building on Morena Boulevard, near the Costco Wholesale, according to San Diego police Lt. Judd Campbell.
A press release sent by SDPD Tuesday afternoon said the victim was parked outside of the building when he was approached by the suspect, who likely tried to carjack him.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
The suspect shot the victim through the driver's side window of his car, according to the release.
"There are lots of theories about what happened," Lt. Campbell said Tuesday morning. "It’s a little early in the investigation to say exactly why but that is what the focus of the investigation is -- what happened and who did it so that we can apprehend them and get them in custody."
For unknown reasons, the wounded man drove to a McDonald's near Mission Bay Drive and Garnet Avenue. There, at around 5:15 a.m., officers were flagged down by McDonald's employees who told police the man had walked into the restaurant with at least one gunshot wound.
Local
"Officers began rendering aid and our victim was ultimately transported to the hospital where he, unfortunately, passed away from his injuries," Campbell said.
Video from SkyRanger 7 showed nearly 10 patrol vehicles blocking the perimeter of the McDonald's at about 7 a.m. for an investigation.
Jesse Jurado, who works in the complex where the shooting happened, said he showed up to work Tuesday to find police tape blocking the entrance to his building. He said had interacted with the victim before.
”He was really friendly, really welcoming, he was always engaging with everybody and he loved my dog, yeah, he called him the boss," Jurado said. "He was here before everybody, he’s working hard and he wanted to make everybody feel at home. So it’s really sad to see someone like that in this community go."
San Diego police said investigators have a vague suspect description of a thin man about 5 feet 7 inches tall who was wearing a gray hoodie at the time of the shooting. He ran away from the shooting in an unknown direction, according to police.
Anyone with information is asked to call SDPD's Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story said the shooting occurred in Morena. The shooting occurred on Morena Boulevard in Bay-Ho.
