Two hours. A knife, a fire, and a door that finally came open.
Here’s the bodycam breakdown.
San Diego PD officers responded to a 911 call just after 1:00 p.m. on June 23, 2026, at an apartment complex in the Cortez Hill neighborhood. The call came from the building manager, reporting an assault. He put the victim, the resident’s mother, on the phone.
She told them her son was in a mental health crisis. Armed with a knife and a baseball bat. Barricaded inside her fourth-floor apartment. She got out before officers arrived. Minor injuries. Not stabbed.
Officers made contact attempts. Nothing back. He started throwing household items out of the apartment during the standoff. One hit an officer in the face.
Around 2:05 p.m., officers saw heavy smoke coming from inside. He’d started a fire. The whole building got evacuated. San Diego Fire-Rescue came in and knocked it down while officers held the perimeter.
Roughly two hours after the initial call, officers breached the apartment door.
He came through it immediately. Knife raised over his head. Stabbing motions, advancing straight at them.
Three officers fired. He was hit.
He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Two officers were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
SDPD has identified the suspect as 32-year-old Josue White. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit is investigating, standard protocol for any officer-involved shooting in the county.
Two hours. Officers tried to talk him down for two hours while he threw furniture, torched the place, and never gave them anything to work with. When the door came open, he made the decision for them.
