Congregation mourns pastor fatally shot at Lemon Grove home; wife arrested
Clergy and members of a congregation in San Diego on Wednesday were mourning the death of a 29-year-old pastor and father of two young boys who authorities said was shot by his wife in their Lemon Grove home.
The Rev. Noah Shepherd, of San Diego Reformed Presbyterian Church in Rolando, was shot about 6 p.m. Monday at the couple’s home on Camino de las Palmas, which runs parallel to state Route 125, south of Palm and Troy streets.
Authorities said Gabriela Rose Shepherd called 911 and reported that she had shot her husband as he was trying to enter the home through a back door. She said the shooting was accidental but was later arrested on suspicion of murder.
Deputies found Shepherd in the backyard of the home. Medics took him to a hospital, where he died.
“The Pacific Coast Presbytery, and the San Diego Reformed Presbyterian Church, express our heartbreaking sorrow over the passing of our brother and fellowlaborer, Rev. Noah Shepherd,” The Pacific Coast Presbytery said in a statement on Facebook. “We will remember Rev. Shepherd for the
hope of the gospel message he not only preached, but believed.
According to Shepherd’s Facebook page, he graduated from Providence Christian College in Pasadena in 2016 and from Westminster Seminary California in Escondido in May 2020.
According to Gabriela Rose Shepherd’s Facebook page, the couple married Aug. 19, 2016. In February 2014, she shared a photo of the couple, calling him her best friend.
Her arraignment in San Diego Superior Court is scheduled for today.
david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com
Victim killed in shooting identified as S.D. man, 42
SPRING VALLEY
Authorities on Wednesday identified a 42-year-old man who was gunned down Sunday night in Spring Valley.
Donte Anthony Lopez, a San Diego resident, was fatally shot about 11:15 p.m. near the intersection of Elkelton Boulevard and Crestmore Avenue just west of state Route 125, according to sheriff ’s homicide Lt. Thomas Seiver.
After receiving a 911 call about a possible shooting, deputies arrived to find Lopez suffering from a gunshot wound, Seiver said. Medics took Lopez to a hospital, where he died.
Seiver said Monday that the victim was in the street and was approached by one or more people who shot him near a parked car. “They were all on foot during the time of the shooting,” the lieutenant said.
No other details about Lopez’s slaying have been released, but anyone with information about the killing was asked to call the sheriff’s homicide unit at (858) 2856330, or after hours at (858) 5655200.
Tipsters can also contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers anonymously at (888) 580-8477.
alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
DUI suspect seriously hurt after crashing multiple times
SPRING VALLEY
A 21-year-old man suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was arrested Tuesday evening after he crashed multiple times in the La Presa area of Spring Valley and the SUV he was driving caught fire, authorities said. He was seriously injured.
Around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, the man crashed a 1998 Mitsubishi Montero into the back of a 2000 GMC Sierra at the intersection of Jamacha Road and Kempton Street, California Highway Patrol said in a news release.
The Mitsubishi, which had been headed east, turned in the opposite direction and headed west on Jamacha Road. The driver then ran a red light and collided with with 2012 Kia Sorrento that was heading east, about to turn left onto state Route 125, the CHP said.
The collision caused the Mitsubishi to flip over, coming to rest on its side near a traffic signal. The SUV caught fire with the driver inside.
Witnesses pushed the SUV back onto its four wheels and removed the driver, who was not wearing a seat belt.
“The driver was transported to the hospital with major injuries,” CHP spokesman Officer Jeff Christy wrote in an email. “It appears alcohol and/or drugs are a factor in the (crashes).”
Authorities arrested the man on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Christy said others involved in the crashes suffered minor injuries.
Investigators are asking witnesses of the crash to call California Highway Patrol at (619) 401-2000.
Reporter Sofía Mejías Pascoe contributed to this story. alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
Man accused of driving into S.D. officer pleads not guilty
SAN DIEGO
A man accused of intentionally striking a San Diego police motorcycle officer with a car in Mira Mesa pleaded not guilty Wednesday to assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
Moises Correa faces 35 years to life in state prison if convicted because he has two prior strike convictions, including a 2011 attempted murder conviction out of Maricopa County, Ariz., according to the criminal complaint filed against him.
Correa, 29, is accused of wounding the officer, whose name was not released, just after 10 a.m. July 7 after the officer stopped a black Chrysler sedan that Correa was allegedly driving in the area of Black Mountain Road and Westview Parkway.
Police said the Chrysler sped away and the officer gave chase. At some point, the driver pulled to a stop in a traffic lane, then accelerated in reverse, crashing the car into the motorcycle, according to San Diego police Lt. Andra Brown.
Following the impact, the motorist continued backing up, pushing the downed motorcycle, with the officer pinned underneath it. The driver, who had a female passenger riding with him, then fled north on Black Mountain Road, police said.
The patrolman, who had minor injuries, was treated at a hospital and released. He has been with the Police Department for 13 years and assigned to the Traffic Division Motorcycle Unit for more than five years.
About 6 p.m. Friday, officers learned that Correa was in the Mira Mesa area, Brown said. A police helicopter spotted Correa and a female companion — police believed she was the passenger in the car involved in the crash a day earlier — in the backyard of a home on Dewsbury Avenue, a little more than a mile from where the crash occurred.
The companions went into the house, and officers surrounded the residence, Brown said. Other occupants of the house came out, and a SWAT team responded to the scene.
After a standoff that lasted several hours, the two suspects were located in the rafters of the garage. They refused to come out, Brown said.
Police deployed chemical agents into the garage, prompting the pair to surrender.
Correa remained held without bail Wednesday.