A suspect shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy Wednesday in Vista had an arrest record and may have been affiliated with a gang.
Suspect Christopher Hannowsky, 31, of Escondido was shot by Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Canela just before 5 p.m. Wednesday near Bonair Road after getting into a physical scuffle with the deputy.
According to authorities, Canela, who’s a member of the Vista Gang Enforcement team, was routinely patrolling the area when he noticed Hannowsky acting suspiciously and carrying what appeared to be a knife.
When Canela approached Hannowsky for questioning, Hannowsky resisted and struggle ensued between the pair. Officials said Hannowsky removed the deputy’s taser gun from his holster during their fight, leading the deputy to open fire.
“It’s definitely a deadly force situation if that’s the case,” said Lt. Glenn Giannantonio.
Canela fatally shot Hannowsky. When additional deputies arrived they discovered the item the suspect had been carrying was actually a 10-inch hand file.
On Friday investigators released Hannowsky’s name, but no further information was released about why Canela stopped Hannowsky on the street during his patrol.
However, a sheriff’s source did say Canela recognized Hannowsky as a gang member.
NBC 7 has not been able to confirm if Hannowsky was, in fact, a member of a gang but we did discover some information about Hannowsky’s criminal past.
Court records revealed Hannowsky was charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of grand theft in San Diego County this past April. He was sentenced to probation but was revoked after violating the terms of his probation, according to records.
A revocation hearing was set for Aug. 30, but he failed to appear in court. Court records show a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
Then, in July, he was charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance and pleaded guilty.
NBC 7 also searched Hannowsky’s Facebook page to get a glimpse of his life.
On his page, there is a picture of a cat appearing to give the Nazi salute while wearing a swastika arm band.
Below that, Hannowsky’s favorite quote is posted on the page: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children 14/88."
Those numbers are significant to white supremacists because the 14 refers to David Lane, a white power leader who died five years ago, while 88 represents Hitler because “H” is the eighth letter in the alphabet.
