SD Man Arrested In Death Of Local Teacher

CARMEL VALLEY, CA — A suspect was arrested Monday evening in connection with the fatal shooting of a Cathedral Catholic High School teacher on a North Park sidewalk Monday morning, police said.

San Diego resident Jesse Milton Alvarez, 30, was arrested without incident at a Serra Mesa house and booked into jail on suspicion of murder, San Diego police Lt. Andra Brown confirmed to Patch.

San Diego police received reports of gunfire and a man down just after 7 a.m. Monday in the 4500 block of Kansas Street.

Officers from the Mid-City Division found an unresponsive man on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound, police said. The man, identified as Mario Fierro, 37, died at the scene after officers and a San Diego fire rescue crew attempted to revive him.

Fierro was shot after getting into a dispute with another man, an initial investigation by homicide detectives determined. The suspect, who was identified by police as Alvarez, was seen driving away from the scene northbound along Kansas Street in an older vehicle after the incident, police said.

Officials have not released details on the relationship between the two men or a possible motive.

Cathedral Catholic High School first announced that Fierro was found dead in a suspected homicide on Monday morning.

A candlelight vigil was held for Fierro Monday night, NBC San Diego reported. More than 100 community members came out to mourn Fierro.

"He was a very passionate teacher. He loved teaching, loved young people. You went into his classroom, you saw the energy, you felt the energy," Cathedral Principal Kevin Calkins told NBC 7.

School officials bolstered security at the partially opened campus and canceled all classes on Monday — both in-person and online — until Thursday. Parents were instructed to pick up children who were dropped off Monday "as soon as possible."

Later Monday afternoon, the San Diego-based Larry Himmel Neighborhood Foundation launched a memorial fundraiser to benefit Fierro's family. Donations can be made here.

As of Tuesday morning, the fund had received $32,735 of its $50,000 goal.

Fierro was a CCHS and University High School alumnus and graduated from the campus in 2002 before returning to teach social science in 2016. He also served as the athletic director for Notre Dame Academy. He was also a coach at the Carmel Valley school.

"Everyone in our school community mourns his loss. Mario was young, vibrant and full of life. All of us loved him," Kevin Eckery, spokesperson for the diocese, said in a statement Monday. "Obviously, this is a shock."

Grief counseling will be made available to all students, staff and faculty, Eckery said. "Please remember Mario and his family in your prayers," Eckery added.