Man Fatally Shot by SDPD, Police Dog Injured

Investigators sought today to determine what led a young City Heights man to threaten his family and police with knives and a stick at his apartment over the weekend, prompting officers to fatally shoot him.

Patrol personnel went to the residence in the 3800 block of Menlo Avenue shortly before 10:30 p.m. Sunday on reports that a man was threatening the lives of his family, according to San Diego police.

Officers arrived to find the man holding a knife and a stick and behaving in an "agitated" manner, Lt. Mike Hastings said. As the officers tried to persuade him to disarm himself, he allegedly began threatening them and retrieved a machete.

Officers tried in vain to subdue the suspect with stun guns and police dogs, Hastings said. When one of the canines approached, the man struck the animal on the back with the machete, according to police.

The suspect then allegedly swung the weapon at an officer, prompting two others to open fire. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene.

The man was identified by friends on a social media website as a 21-year- old refugee from Myanmar. He suffered from mental illness and had been involved in several prior encounters with the police, according to the online posting.

The police dog, an 8-year-old German shepherd named Nando, was taken to a veterinary hospital, where staples were used to close the wound. The animal, which is expected to survive, has been with the department since 2008 and was set to be taken off duty this month, the lieutenant said.

The officers who shot the suspect have been employed by the SDPD for 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 years. Their names were not immediately released.

—City News Service