A suspect who opened fire on an office employee in San Diego's East County Thursday and then went on to shoot at an El Cajon police officer was hit by the officer's return fire and died, officials confirmed.
Officers with the El Cajon Police Department first responded to reports of a shooting at an office building along the 1100 block of E. Main Street in El Cajon at around 2:15 p.m., ECPD said.
According to police, the suspect had gone into a victim's office at Western Medical Training Center and shot the victim while he was working.
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Soon after, according to police, a person matching the suspect's description was spotted a block away from the building at Ballard and Decker streets.
As an officer approached in his service vehicle, the suspect opened fire on the officer, ECPD said.
The officer returned fire and hit the suspect at least once, according to ECPD. The officer was not wounded.
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The suspect and the victim in the initial shooting were both injured, according to initial reports from ECPD. Then, at around 5:30 p.m., an ECPD captain at the scene told NBC 7 the suspect had died from his injuries.
The victim's injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
The relationship between the victim and suspect is unclear at this time. The office manager told NBC 7 she wasn't familiar with the suspect and didn't know why he was in the building.
Near Ballard and Decker streets, a police SUV was seen up on a curb, possibly after crashing into a tree, outside of an apartment complex. That scene was blocked off by police tape.
An NBC 7 photojournalist at the scene captured what appeared to be a handgun on the ground near where the ECPD vehicle had driven up the curb.
Ballard Street was blocked off between Main Street and Lexington Avenue following the deadly shooting. ECPD asked drivers to avoid the area.
"ECPD will be following SD County protocols while investigating the OIS (officer involved shooting), which includes notification of and cooperation with the District Attorney’s Office," the department said.
A 10-year-old boy who witnessed the shooting said the suspect was in the middle of the street when he started shooting at the officer's vehicle. The officer then hit the suspect with the SUV and drove onto the curb as the suspect continued firing, according to the boy.
The boy said he ran away to hide while the gunfire exchange continued.
Neighbor Shanice Akinnola said the incident was terrifying.
"I didn't even want to go outside," she said.
Akinnola was in her apartment with her young daughter just beyond where the police SUV came to a stop.
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Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story attributed details of the incident published by ECPD to the department's Chief of Police Michael Moulton. The incident report was actually prepared by Captain Rob Ransweiler and reviewed by Lieutenant K. MacArthur.
