Police Fatally Shoot Murder Suspect In Oceanside Following Pursuit

OCEANSIDE, CA — A murder suspect died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in Oceanside early Friday following a multi-county pursuit and exchange of gunfire with law enforcement personnel.

The events that led to the 28-year-old man's death began about 11:55 p.m. Thursday, when 911 callers reported a domestic dispute and gunshots at a home in the 500 block of Fredricks Avenue in Oceanside, according to the San Diego Police Department, which investigates law enforcement shootings in the city to the north under terms of a regional agreement.

Patrol officers arrived at the residence to find the body of a 34-year- old woman, and detectives soon concluded that she had been shot to death by a man she was dating, SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said.

The names of the suspect and victim were withheld pending family notifications.

Shortly after 2 a.m. Friday, deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department spotted the suspect driving on Interstate 15 near Winchester Road in Temecula Campbell said. When they tried to stop him, he failed to yield and fled south, prompting a lengthy pursuit.

After entering San Diego County, the suspect continued on through Fallbrook and eventually wound up back in Oceanside.

After running over a tire-flattening spike strip that police laid out in his path, the man pulled over in a parking lot at a strip mall in the 500 block of Vandegrift Boulevard. He then allegedly got out of his vehicle, pulled a gun and began shooting at officers. The gunfire struck at least one law enforcement vehicle, Campbell said.

At that point, an Oceanside police officer and a Riverside County sheriff's deputy returned fire, and the suspect ran off, with law enforcement personnel giving chase.

After running a few blocks west, the suspect collapsed and died at the intersection of Gold and Sol drives, apparently after shooting himself, the lieutenant said.

It was not immediately clear if the suspect had been struck by any of the rounds fired by the law enforcement personnel.

The Oceanside Police Department officer who fired on the suspect has been with the agency for about nine years. He is assigned to the OPD's service-dog unit.

The patrol deputy involved in the shooting has been employed by Riverside County Sheriff's for roughly two years.

The woman's death will be investigated by Oceanside police, the lieutenant noted.

— City News Service