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Posted by: kwflatbed

By Debbi Farr Baker
Union-Tribune

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A man thought to be a sexual assault suspect was shot and killed by a San Diego police officer in the Mission Bay area Tuesday morning, police said.

Homicide Capt. Mary Cornicelli said that officers got a call at 10:13 a.m. stating that a woman had been sexually assaulted near the Hilton San Diego Resort on East Mission Bay Drive. Officers later spotted a man who seemed to match the suspect's description walking in the area near Tecolote Creek, not far from the park about a quarter mile south of the hotel.
Police said the officer approached the man and, when they were within about 15 feet of each other, the man stopped and motioned for the officer to come toward him. The officer declined.
“The man had his hands in or near his waistband and appeared to have a metal object in his hand,” Cornicelli said.
The man then advanced toward the officer in a “threatening manner” and the officer fired his weapon, killing him. A knife was recovered nearby, Cornicelli said.
Jill Vizcaino from San Carlos said that she and a friend were walking behind the Hilton hotel just after 10 a.m. when a man who looked like a transient walked toward them eating a piece of chicken.
She said they had been keeping an eye on the man because of his unkempt appearance and the fact that she had her small son with her.
As he walked by them he said, “Good morning,” and then he turned and grabbed her friend between the legs, Vizcaino said.
They called police and reported the attack.
She described the man as dark skinned, with dreadlocks in his beard, and wearing dark clothes and a turban.
Vizcaino said she later heard that shots were fired about 30 to 40 minutes later and that a man was killed.
She believes the dead man, whose body lay uncovered on the ground, is the same person who grabbed her friend because the clothes the dead man was wearing were similar to the man she encountered earlier.
She said her friend was very upset. “She thinks she just got somebody killed,” she said.
Edna Wallis of Chula Vista was in the park when she heard someone say “stop” and then heard what she thought was four shots.
Cornicelli said they do not yet know if the dead man is the same man who grabbed the woman.
Officers will be at the site investigating for several hours, Cornicelli said. East Mission Bay Drive was closed between the hotel and the road leading to Fiesta Island.
The officer will be placed on administrative leave, which is the normal practice after officer-involved shootings.

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