Sheriff’s investigators are reviewing the confrontation after police said the man carried flammable liquid into a 30th Street business.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A man died after being shot by a San Diego police officer Wednesday during a confrontation inside a North Park business, where authorities said he barricaded himself with a torch and flammable liquid after officers pursued him from a nearby disturbance.
The shooting capped a series of events that began shortly after 9 a.m. near El Cajon Boulevard and Oregon Street. San Diego County Sheriff’s Lt. Juan Marquez said responding officers encountered a man who was acting violently and breaking vehicle windows with a metal object. Police pursued him on foot as he moved through the neighborhood and eventually entered Adult Emporium on 30th Street.
Authorities said the man remained inside the business and refused officers’ efforts to persuade him to come out. Police said he had a device capable of producing a flame along with flammable liquid. Officers also used less-lethal bean-bag rounds during the confrontation, according to accounts released after the shooting, but those efforts did not end the standoff.
Police sent a K-9 into the business during the response. Authorities said the dog was burned on its neck and hind legs and was taken to an emergency veterinary hospital. The dog was released from veterinary care about three hours later, Marquez said. Three San Diego police officers also suffered burns to their hands while providing aid during the incident and were treated at a hospital before being released.
The confrontation turned deadly as the man moved toward the front of the business while carrying the incendiary device, according to Marquez. One officer fired multiple rounds, striking the man at least once. Authorities also said the man caught fire at some point during the encounter. Officers removed him from the business and provided medical aid before paramedics took him to a hospital.
The man died at the hospital shortly before noon, authorities said. His name had not been publicly released in the reports available Thursday. Officials also had not publicly identified the officer who fired or released a detailed account of what the officer saw immediately before opening fire.
The incident brought a large police and emergency response to the commercial area around 30th Street and Polk Avenue. Police closed the 4000 block of 30th Street and Polk Avenue between Kansas and Ohio streets while investigators processed the scene. The roads reopened at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after remaining closed for much of the day.
Investigators had not confirmed whether customers or employees were inside the business before the confrontation, and the extent of any damage to the building had not been established in the initial reports. Authorities also had not announced a suspected motive for the man’s actions or explained what occurred before the first disturbance call beyond the reported vandalism.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is leading the investigation into the shooting rather than the San Diego Police Department. Local law enforcement agencies use an agreement under which an outside agency investigates shootings involving another department’s officers. Investigators are expected to review physical evidence, available video and witness accounts as they reconstruct the sequence of events.
No final determination about the officer’s use of force had been announced as of Thursday. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing, with the man’s identity and additional details about the confrontation still pending release.
Author note: Last updated September 17, 2026.