A man who was fatally shot by San Diego police this week after leading them on a 30-minute chase from San Ysidro to Golden Hill has been identified, as have the officers who fired on him.
Enrique Cortez, Jr., was 37.
The incident began when a witness notified the San Diego Police Department of a man with a partially concealed rifle in his jacket near Sanger Pl. and Blanche St. in San Ysidro around 3:20 p.m. Monday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
The witness told police that Cortez placed the rifle into a white Ford F-150 truck and retrieved a handgun. He then argued with a bicyclist. The bicyclist left the area and Cortez reportedly fired one round from the handgun. It hit the ground in the direction of the bicyclist, the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
When SDPD arrived, they made contact with Cortez, who then drove off in his truck. Police chased him north from the I-5 to the I-15 freeway and from there onto surface streets into Golden Hill.
The vehicle pursuit lasted just over 30 minutes.
Officers say that Cortez reversed his truck into a patrol vehicle. He then drove into a pavilion in a resident’s front yard and came to a stop. Two police officers shot multiple rounds at the man after he revved the truck’s engine, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Cortez died at the scene.
The officers who shot him have been identified as Acting Sgt. Bryan Shields and Sgt. Richard Curtis.
“Acting Sergeant Shields has been with the San Diego Police Department for nine years and is currently assigned to patrol at the Southeastern Division and is a member of the SWAT team,” said the Sheriff’s Office in a release.
“Sergeant Curtis has been with the San Diego Police Department for 13 years and is currently assigned to patrol at the Southeastern Division and is a member of the SWAT team.”
The results of the investigation will be reviewed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether SDPD has any criminal liability in the incident. The San Diego Police Department will then conduct an administrative investigation into the officers’ discharge of their firearms.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will also be monitoring the investigation.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330/after hours at (858) 868-3200, or leave tips anonymously by contacting San Diego Crime Stoppers online or at (888) 580-8477.
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