BY SHARON CHEN
CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Chula
Vista Police are investigating a shooting involving a San Diego Police officer
who killed his own brother.
The incident occurred in the
300 block of Center Street just before 9:00 a.m. Friday.
“We got a call from neighbors
saying someone was stabbed and there might have been a shooting,” said Lt.
Fritz Reber, an investigator with the Chula Vista Police Department.
Police arrived to find a man
who had been stabbed in the parking lot of Parkwoods Apartments.
“He told them he was an
off-duty San Diego police officer,” Reber said. “We have also confirmed that
information.”
The police officer then led
Chula Vista Police to a second floor apartment where they found the suspect. He
had been shot and killed.
“From what we understand there
was an argument and some mental history with the suspect,” Reber said. “They
were attempting to get him some help.”
The suspect was the officer’s
brother. They both lived at the apartment with their parents.
“There was a conflict between
the suspect and the mother, and the victim stepped in,” Reber said. “The
suspect armed himself with knives and stabbed the off-duty officer and was
subsequently shot and killed.”
The officer was taken to UC San
Diego Medical Center with four stab wounds.
The brother died at the scene.
“We’re not releasing any other
information at this time,” Reber said.
“All I heard was commotion and
then a lot of police officers walking around,” said Robert Ledesma, a neighbor.
Ledesma lives upstairs from the
family.
“Very nice family,” Ledesma
said. “I’ve known them for about 10 years.”
He said as long as he’s known
them, there has never been any problems, even with the brother.
“The boy who was shot usually
walks his dog around,” Ledesma said. “As
far as I was concerned, he was a nice guy.”
The San Diego Police officer
will not face charges. Investigators
said he fired in self-defense and that the incident is nothing but a family
tragedy.
“I’m really sorry. I send all my condolences,” Ledesma
said. “It’s so sad it had to happen with
a family like that. It’s a shame.”
Check back for updates on this
developing story.
