BONITA, Calif. (AP) – More than 1,000 people Thursday mourned the death of a decorated San Diego police officer who was shot five times at close range in the driver’s seat of his patrol auto after his partner approached a man on the street.
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Gomez, 52, was ordered to remain in custody on $5 million bail.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Runyon said at a news conference that the two officers had pulled up to Gomez, who was walking on Thursday night.
DeGuzman, a Chula Vista resident, was shot and killed in Southcrest on Thursday, July 28, while on duty with fellow gang-suppression officer Wade Irwin, who was seriously wounded but expected to recover.
“No one in my family believes he did this”, said the suspect’s son, Daniel Gomez, 26. De Guzman was shot five times at close range while in the driver’s seat of his patrol vehicle. Gomez then allegedly moved to the open passenger door of the patrol vehicle and fired multiple shots at DeGuzman in the driver’s seat.
Gomez is eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors have not decided whether to seek it.
In stories July 29 to August 3 about a San Diego police shooting, The Associated Press, relying on information from the San Diego Police Department, misspelled the last name of a slain officer.
Jesse Gomez pleaded not guilty Tuesday as authorities revealed he had opened fire on the pair of San Diego cops last Thursday immediately after he was asked if he lived in the area, the Associated Press reports. Gomez fled but was eventually found in a nearby ravine by police.
A second man, Marcos Cassani, was arrested Friday on an unrelated search warrant, but he has been released, authorities said. Police have yet to determine a motive.
Irwin, 32, is expected to survive his injuries.
Investigators have reviewed police body camera footage, though they said Tuesday that Irwin’s camera was not turned on until after he was shot.
SDPOA officials asked donors to include “Officer Jonathan DeGuzman” in the notes of the online donation or on the memo lines of their checks. San Diego SWAT surrounded the house of one individual Friday morning thought to be linked to the shooting, but that person was later cleared. Marquez described him as “a multi-talented worker who is considered to be a great asset to all construction projects”. He said he is a good father to his three sons and dedicated grandfather to his 9-year-old granddaughter. “I know he’s been in trouble, like when I was a baby, but after that nothing”. “He stayed out of trouble and was about his family”.
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Law enforcement from San Diego and across the nation are mourning together this week during several memorial services for slain San Diego police Officer Jonathan “JD” DeGuzman.
