Driver fatally shot, crashes into Midway building San Diego police investigating fatal shooting in Encanto

SAN DIEGO

A vehicle crashed into a building Wednesday evening in the Midway District after its driver was shot and fatally wounded, San Diego police said.

Police received reports of gunfire and a crash about 6:15 p.m. at Kemper and Kenyon streets just south of Midway Drive, Officer Robert Heims said.

Officers discovered the gravely injured driver of the crashed vehicle with a gunshot wound to the chest and possibly one to the head, Heims said.

Medics rushed the victim to a hospital, but he later died, according to Heims, who said homicide detectives had taken over the investigation.

Witnesses told police that at least one other vehicle sped away from the scene after the shooting, but it was not immediately clear if that vehicle was involved.

In a news release Thursday, homicide Lt. Matt Dobbs said investigators believed there was another man with the victim at the time of the crash.

That man was last seen walking away from the vehicle, according to police.

Heims did not know what building the vehicle struck, but the situation unfolded behind Point Loma Plaza, a strip mall shopping center with a Vons and other stores.

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com

ENCANTO

A man was fatally shot Wednesday night in Encanto, San Diego police said.

The victim, a 44-year-old Black male, has been identified, but his name is not being released at this time, police said.

Shortly after 7:40 p.m. police received calls reporting gunshots on Varney Drive near Theodore Drive, just north of Division Street, according to Officer Robert Heims.

When officers and paramedics arrived, they found a man slumped over in a vehicle and suffering from at least one apparent gunshot wound, police said in a news release.

The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment, but did not survive his injuries and was pronounced dead, police said.

Police said it appears the victim was talking to an acquaintance when another vehicle pulled up near them.

The suspect, described as a man wearing all dark clothing, got out of his vehicle and fired several rounds at the victim before fleeing the scene, according to police.

The suspect has not been identified, but was last seen heading west on Varney Drive in a white four-door vehicle, police said.

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com