By Joanna Putman
Police1
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Police Department released a critical incident video documenting a shootout involving police officers and SWAT, and a large house fire started by the suspect.
The now-deceased suspect, Jesse Nelson, allegedly killed his mother and two dogs before being shot by officers.
The video begins with a conversation between a neighbor and the 9-1-1 dispatcher after an officer had been dispatched to the scene.
“There’s someone on the ground…It’s a person, oh my god,” the caller can be heard saying, followed shortly by, “He’s shooting at the officer!”
The video then switches to the body camera worn by the first officer to respond to the call, known in the video only as “Officer One.” The officer runs toward the woman and dog, who are lying in the driveway.
The officer calls for medical aid but is forced to seek cover as he is shot at from inside the house. He shelters behind his police car and calls for backup.
Other officers arrive, and using a patrol car as a shield, are able to carry the woman to safety. The video captions report the woman died from gunshot wounds at the scene.
Police said that a SWAT team was called to the house, and the video switches to an infrared camera view from the helicopter above the house.
“Due to the fact the suspect had killed one person, one dog, and had fired and continued to fire multiple rounds at responding officers, assistance from the San Diego Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT) was requested,” police said in a news release sent to Fox 5.
The suspect is seen running into the garage, where he begins to throw garbage at officers. Police said that an hour elapsed while SWAT negotiators called for Nelson’s surrender, but he refused. Then, he set the garage on fire.
The video states that during this time, a second dog was killed as the inferno took over the garage structure.
Helicopter footage shows Nelson running into the backyard, where he continues shooting toward officers as he is shot by a SWAT sniper stationed on a neighboring roof.
He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the police department, Nelson used a rifle, a shotgun and a handgun during the standoff. He also had other weapons stored inside the house.