A SWAT standoff stretched through the night and into Thursday morning after a homicide suspect shot in a man in the neck in Point Loma Heights near Ocean Beach, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).
As of 7:40 a.m., the suspect in the deadly shooting -- identified by police as Thomas Burke, 32 -- had been arrested in downtown San Diego near 16th Avenue and F Street.
The SDPD said Burke had been negotiating with detectives over the phone and finally surrendered to police in downtown San Diego.
Police said the ordeal began around 11:10 p.m. Wednesday when a man walked up to the door of an apartment in the 4100 block of Voltaire Street and Catalina Boulevard and was allegedly shot by Burke, who was inside that apartment.
Witnesses said they saw firefighters administering CPR and a woman yelling, trying to get to the victim.
The victim suffered a gunshot wound to his upper torso, the SDPD said, and died at the scene. He has not yet been identified by officials, but police said he is in his mid-30s.
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Following the deadly shooting, Police believed Burke had barricaded himself inside the apartment on Voltaire Street. As a precaution, neighbors were evacuated from the nine-unit complex and roads were closed off to traffic.
SWAT officials were called to the scene, and a lengthy standoff ensued. Police tape cordoned off the area well into Thursday morning.
Laura Hart, who lives directly across the street, told NBC 7 she listened law enforcement through an internet scanner app after seeing police outside.
"I was kind of listening to it all night and we heard the guys name. They referenced his name and we looked him up on Facebook--looked like a completely normal guy. I mean, it's just the weirdest thing that could possibly happen here," she said.
As of 6 a.m., police said they weren’t sure if Burke was still holed up inside the apartment, or if he had escaped.
Officers used a bullhorn throughout the morning to call out to Burke, ordering to suspect to come out with his hands up. At least one flash bang was also deployed at the apartment.
There was no response from inside the unit.
Police said Burke was considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. He was described as 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds.
At 7:40 a.m., Burke was taken into custody. He was booked into San Diego Central Jail on one count of murder.
Police said Burke and the victim of the shooting know one another. The shooting was prompted by some sort of confrontation between the men, though further details were not immediately released.
Residents of the complex remained evacuated Thursday morning as officers worked for several hours to collect evidence and clear the scene.
They were permitted back inside later in the day.
Invesgators were on scene Thursday evening collecting evidence from the unit after obtaining a search warrant.
