San Diego police dog, armed suspect killed in confrontation at Mesa College

San Diego —  A man shot and killed a police dog at Mesa College on Wednesday, prompting a police officer to fatally shoot the gunman during a confrontation on the Clairemont campus, authorities said.

Investigators said the dog, named Sir, was released by his handler and was going after the man — sought after allegedly shooting at another motorist — when the dog was mortally wounded. A San Diego police officer then opened fire, striking the suspect, sheriff’s homicide Lt. Joseph Jarjura told OnScene TV and other reporters.

Officers rendered medical aid to the man, who was taken to a hospital. The dog was rushed to a veterinary hospital.

The name of the man who was killed was not immediately released, pending notification of his family.

Sir was a 4½-year-old Belgian Malinois who joined the force in March 2022.

(San Diego Police Dept.)

Police said the incident began shortly before 1:30 a.m. when someone reported that a driver in a white Tesla had fired at him after some kind of dispute while driving, Jarjura said.

The Tesla’s driver followed the man to Ben Street in Clairemont and shot at him multiple times before driving off, Jarjura said. The victim was uninjured, he said.

Officers located the Tesla and tried to pull over the driver, but he kept driving. Officers said the suspect had a handgun, Jarjura said.

The man drove onto Mesa College’s campus and left his car on a center divider on Mesa College Circle near Parking Lot 1, officials said.

When police came upon the car, its driver’s door was open, and no one was inside, Jarjura said.

Officers located the man nearby and ordered him to drop the gun, but he did not comply, police said. That’s when the police dog was released.

According to police radio traffic, the man was reportedly “pretty animated” and “not listening to our commands” as officers confronted him.

Then, sometime after 2:30 a.m., someone on the radio reported “shots fired” and said the dog had been hit.

“Sir ran towards the armed suspect when the suspect opened fire, fatally wounding him. SDPD officers returned fire & killed the suspect,” the San Diego Police Officers Assn. said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “RIP Sir. You saved lives.”

Sir was a 4½-year-old Belgian Malinois who joined the force in March 2022, officials said. He was the second dog in the San Diego department to die on duty. In 1994, a dog named Bando was killed while searching a canyon for a homicide suspect. He got through a hole in a fence and was struck by a car on a ramp leading to state Route 163.

County sheriff’s homicide investigators are handling the investigation into the shooting under a countywide protocol that calls for sheriff’s detectives to investigate shootings involving SDPD officers.

Jarjura said investigators are still trying to determine what led to the initial shooting. “We believe it started on the roadways, one vehicle possibly trying to pass another vehicle or some kind of incident,” he said.

No information about the San Diego police officer who shot the man was immediately released.

Mesa College officials said school would proceed as normal, although several parking lots were closed early Wednesday.

“The campus is secure and people should report to work as usual,” San Diego Mesa College President Ashanti Hands said in an email posted on social media. “A police investigation is currently underway and lots 1, 2 and 3 will be closed until further notice, as will Mesa College Circle near the athletic fields.”