San Diego — The San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Escondido this morning.
On Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at approximately 2:23 a.m., Escondido Police officers responded to a reentry facility located on the 100 block of S. Elm St. regarding a man who had intentionally harmed himself with a knife. Officers arrived on scene and evacuated the facility. They contacted the subject and saw that he still possessed the knife. He was described as a Hispanic male in his thirties. Officers negotiated with the man to surrender for about an hour, but the man stopped communicating with officers and barricaded himself in a bathroom. Because the negotiations were unsuccessful and the man had not threatened anyone other than himself, officers decided to de-escalate the situation by leaving the otherwise vacant facility.
At about 4:20 a.m., officers were called back to the facility because the same man was no longer barricaded and was now walking around the property with the knife and a stick. A K-9 officer who had been on-scene for the earlier call was the first to return to the location. He armed himself with a less lethal 40mm launcher loaded with a single 40mm rubber projectile and took a position in the alley while he waited for additional officers. Before more officers arrived, the subject appeared in the alley holding a wooden stick, estimated to be 24” long and about 1” in diameter. The officer gave the man a command to drop the stick. The man refused to drop the stick and charged at the officer. The officer transitioned to his handgun, yelled for the man to stop, and then fired several shots, striking him multiple times. The officer’s body-worn camera was activated during the incident. The stick and a knife with a broken blade were located at the scene of the shooting. The man was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
San Diego Police Homicide Detectives were called to investigate per the countywide memorandum of understanding regarding officer-involved shootings. Officer-involved shooting investigations are extremely thorough, as is the review process. When Homicide completes its investigation, it will be reviewed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office to determine if the officer bears any criminal liability for their actions. The Escondido Police Department will conduct an administrative investigation into the officer’s discharge of his firearm. The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Attorney’s Office will also be monitoring the investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
