A police officer shot and killed a man suspected of hitting a woman at a Walmart in Chula Vista Sunday night, according to investigators.
Chula Vista police said its officer was originally called around 8:20 p.m. to the Walmart at 1150 Broadway for reports of a man attacking and beating up a woman.
During the response, a 32-year-old man was shot in the parking lot by a five-year veteran canine officer with the CVPD, according to San Diego police, which is investigating the officer-involved shooting per an agreement to prevent law enforcement agencies from conducting their own shooting investigations.
Investigators said the man, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene. A Chula Vista police spokesperson originally said the man was transported to a hospital in unknown condition.
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According to SDPD’s investigation, when the CVPD officer arrived at the scene, he encountered a man who witnesses described as the suspect hitting a black truck with his hands and parts of a wheelchair.
“As [the officer] began to make contact, he noticed the male was holding a knife. He began to give the male commands to drop the knife,” SDPD said in a statement.
The man instead jumped into the back of the truck, which was not his, and continued to hit the truck before jumping out and approaching the CVPD officer with a knife, San Diego police said.
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That’s when the officer fired several times on the man, investigators said. The man fell to the ground and officers kicked away the knife. Despite life-saving measures, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
No officers were injured in the altercation.
San Diego police continues to investigate the incident. The investigation will then be turned over to the San Diego County District Attorney’s office, which will determine if the officer should face any criminal charges for the shooting.
At the same Walmart where the shooting occurred, the Chula Vista Police Department had a pre-scheduled toy giveaway event for the holiday season. The department said the event will go on as scheduled.
This is a developing story. NBC 7 will continue to update readers on this page as more information arrives.
