San Diego Officer Named in Fatal Bird Rock OIS, As Well As Deceased Suspect

Authorities on Thursday released the names of a patrol officer who was involved in a fatal shooting in Bird Rock, along with the man killed by the gunfire.

San Diego police Officer Tarik Andrew shot Dejon Marques Heard, 25, early Saturday as the suspect charged him with a knife in his hand, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

The Sheriff’s department investigates shootings involving San Diego police personnel under terms of a regional agreement designed to prevent conflicts of interest.

The events that led to the deadly encounter began shortly before 7 a.m., when several 911 callers reported that a knife-wielding man was causing a disturbance in the 5400 block of La Jolla Boulevard.

Andrew, a three-year member of the San Diego Police Department, and a fellow officer arrived to find Heard next to his car, which was blocking the roadway.

The department released edited footage from the encounter Thursday, culled from the officers’ uniform-worn cameras, which were activated as they left their cruiser, facing the front of Heard’s vehicle, with handguns drawn.

They ordered Heard to drop the knife, but he looked at them and said, “All right, let’s do this” and immediately advanced to the passenger side of the patrol car where Andrew was.

Heard held up the knife and shouted, “You gotta be kidding me” multiple times in a raspy voice as he hovered near the hood of the police vehicle while Andrew repeated demands that he drop the knife.

As the suspect drew near the passenger side door, Andrew opened fire, discharging three rounds from his service pistol. Heard collapsed onto the roadway. Approximately 17 seconds elapsed from the beginning of the encounter to the shooting.

The officers, after telling Heard, lying on the ground, to roll away from the knife, performed CPR prior to the arrival of paramedics. An ambulance crew took him to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

The cause of Heard’s erratic behavior was unclear.

“At this stage of the investigation, the motivation and circumstances of the shooting are still under investigation,” sheriff’s officials said Thursday. “Detectives are currently gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses and examining the circumstances surrounding the shooting.”

– Staff and wire reports