San Diego, California police officer Jonathan De Guzman was killed in a shootout during a traffic stop. AJPRESS
LOS ANGELES — A gunfight in San Diego on Thursday, July 28 between police and at least one gunman claimed the life of a Filipino American veteran police officer while leaving his partner and one suspect hospitalized.
At least one unnamed suspect opened fire on officers shortly after being stopped by Jonathan “JD” De Guzman and his partner, Wade Irwin of the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) in the city’s Southcrest neighborhood, according to a statement released by the department.
De Guzman, who had served 16 years with SDPD, suffered multiple gunshot wounds while Wade, a nine-year veteran of the police force, was struck in the torso. Both were transported to the University of California San Diego Medical Center where De Guzman was later pronounced dead on Friday, July 29. Wade is expected to survive his injuries.
During a press conference on Friday, SDPD Chief Shelley Zimmerman said the violent incident unfolded “extremely quickly…in seconds to a minute or so.”
An individual thought to have participated in the shooting is in custody and is currently in critical condition while recovering from a gunshot wound. Officers found the suspect in a ravine near the location of the shootings.
Before 8 a.m. on Friday, police investigations led officers to a house in the neighborhood of Shelltown, about a half-mile away from the initial crime scene, according to the Associated Press. SDPD surrounded the building and spent hours trying to coax the suspect to surrender, but when officers finally went inside, they discovered that the suspect had escaped.
SWAT officers arrived at another house about two blocks away that became the site of a second stand-off shortly after 1 p.m. Roughly an hour-and-a-half later, police entered the home and found that the suspect had again evaded arrest. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
De Guzman served with distinction during his years on the police force. In June 2013, he and four other officers stopped a man driving a van full of explosives, thwarting what might have been an attempted bombing. In August of 2003, De Guzman was awarded the Purple Heart after he was stabbed during a routine traffic stop.
De Guzman is survived by his wife and two children. Zimmerman said she had worked with the slain officer before she became police chief and described him as a “loving, caring husband and father.”
“This is gut-wrenching,” said Zimmerman. “He cared. He came to work every single day wanting to just make a positive difference in the lives of our community, and that’s why he lost his life.”