Public Safety

Sheriff’s Department investigates fatal San Diego police shooting

A San Diego police officer fatally shot a man near Friars Road after authorities say he approached the officer with an axe; the county Sheriff’s Department is conducting the investigation.

Published October 22, 2026 • Sources: San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and Times of San Diego

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office opened an independent investigation into a fatal police shooting that followed a reported trolley vandalism near the Morena/Linda Vista station Wednesday afternoon.

Preliminary account remains under review

According to the Sheriff’s Department’s preliminary account, officers were dispatched after a report that a man with an axe was damaging a trolley car. Police and an air-support crew searched the area, and an officer located a man matching the description at about 3:35 p.m.

The department said the man approached the officer while holding an axe, and the officer fired multiple rounds. Officers and paramedics provided aid, but the man was pronounced dead at about 4:10 p.m. Authorities had not publicly identified him as of the release.

Times of San Diego also reported the incident and the countywide protocol assigning the Sheriff’s Department to investigate shootings involving San Diego police. Investigators said the case will be sent to the county District Attorney’s Office for review, while San Diego police will conduct an administrative review.

This account is based on the initial law-enforcement release and may change as investigators interview witnesses and examine evidence.

Official release: San Diego County Sheriff’s Office — October 21, 2026 →

Local reporting: Times of San Diego — October 22, 2026 →