2 officers shot, 1 killed, in San Diego after stop
One suspect was found wounded
SAN DIEGO — Two San Diego police officers were shot — one fatally — after a late-night stop turned into a gunfight, triggering a massive manhunt that led to the capture of one wounded suspect in a ravine and an hours-long SWAT standoff Friday that ended with officers finding no one inside the home they had surrounded.
The shooting came as departments around the country are on high alert following the killing of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La., this month. San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said it was unknown whether the San Diego attack was premeditated.
The chain of events unfolded over more than 12 hours in a blue-collar area of southeastern San Diego with modest single-story homes and streets lined with palm trees.
It started about 11 p.m. Thursday when two veteran gang unit officers in bulletproof vests stopped a person on a street. Almost immediately a shootout ensued and the officers called for backup.
Authorities initially said the officers made a traffic stop involving a motorist, but clarified later that they were still trying to determine whether it was a traffic stop or a stop to check out a pedestrian.
“It happened extremely quickly,” Chief Zimmerman said. “From the information that was put out that a stop was being made to that the officers called for emergency cover to when the other officers arrived on scene, we’re talking very, very quickly. Seconds to a minute or so.”
Jonathan DeGuzman, a 16-year veteran of the force who was married with two children, suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The 43year-old died at Scripps Mercy Hospital after doctors’ efforts to save him failed.
Wade Irwin, 32, underwent surgery after being shot and was expected to survive, Chief Zimmerman said. His wife was at his side.
A male suspect was captured in a nearby ravine and was being treated Friday at a hospital. Police did not identify him but Chief Zimmerman said he was in critical condition with a gunshot wound.
About nine hours after the shootout, heavily armed police officers surrounded a house about a half-mile away, one of them using a bullhorn to urge a man to surrender. Authorities also detonated several devices at the scene to draw him out.
They broke windows and pounded on the roof before entering the house but did not find the possible suspect inside.
Then, about a dozen heavily armed SWAT officers raced two blocks to another house, with an armored truck and robots positioned outside. The possible suspect wasn’t there either.