San Diego gunfire ends in surrender

SAN DIEGO — A gunman in a rooftop apartment surrendered to police Wednesday after a standoff of more than five hours that interrupted air traffic at the San Diego airport.

The domestic-violence suspect, identified as Titus Colbert, 33, was armed with a high-powered rifle and fired off numerous rounds inside his complex near the San Diego International Airport, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to halt planes from landing as a precaution.

Colbert’s ex-girlfriend called police shortly after 9 a.m. to report that she feared that Colbert was inside her apartment, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said.

The ex-girlfriend was outside the apartment when police arrived.

Police entered the apartment after no one responded to knocks and were met with gunfire.

The shots came “within inches” of police, who returned fire as they retreated, San Diego police Lt. Scott Wahl said.

Police quickly established communication with Colbert, but as they evacuated neighboring homes and established a perimeter in the trendy Bankers Hill neighborhood near downtown, Colbert fired additional shots from a balcony. About a dozen officers were seen running down the street, several with rifles at the ready and stopping to aim.

Wahl said that at one point the gunman was “shooting in all different directions.”

Colbert walked out of the complex and was taken into custody about 2:30 p.m.

The complex is under the San Diego International Airport’s approach path, and arriving planes swoop in low over that part of the city. Departures were allowed, though their schedules were affected because there were no incoming flights.

The FAA later lifted its orders barring all flights from landing after the gunman moved into a part of the apartment where he no longer posed a threat to air traffic.