Crime & Safety

Suspect in Standoff Found Dead of Self-Inflicted Gunshot

The 22-year-old suspect was found dead of a self- inflicted gunshot wound early Thursday.

A 22-year-old man accused of shooting two deputies and holding up in his mother's Encinitas home—prompting a 10-hour SWAT standoff that displaced about 25 residents—was found dead of a self- inflicted gunshot wound early Thursday, authorities said.

The incident in the 700 block of Del Rio Avenue near Leucadia Boulevard began around 1 p.m. Wednesday with a woman reporting that her adult son was upset that she had recently obtained a restraining order against him and had taken off in her car, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

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He returned to the home shortly after 3:30 p.m. and deputies tried to talk to him inside the residence, department spokeswoman Melissa Aquino said in a statement.

Several patrol deputies entered the home with the mother's consent and established verbal contact with the man, sheriff's Capt. Duncan Fraser told reporters at the scene.

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"After several minutes of negotiation with him, which was unsuccessful, and because of some statements he was making they deployed less lethal tear gas," Fraser said. "Unfortunately, the male returned fire, striking two deputies."

The wounded deputies were then evacuated and sent to hospitals, he said.

One of the deputies was wounded in the forehead and the other, in the leg, according to Aquino. Both were expected to survive.

After shots were fired, the suspect stayed inside. Crisis negotiators and SWAT teams from around the county flocked to the scene, and for several hours, negotiators were in contact with the suspect, authorities said.

Around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, robots were sent into the home to check on the suspect and about 10 minutes after that, SWAT officers entered and found the man dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Aquino said.

During the standoff, the Red Cross turned the Encinitas Community Center into a shelter for about 25 area-residents displaced by the police activity. Those residents were expected to be allowed back in their homes during the night, Aquino said.

The deputy who was shot in the forehead was treated and released from the hospital, according to Aquino. She said the other was admitted into Scripps La Jolla Hospital in stable condition. Their names were not immediately released.


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