KTLA

Knife-wielding man killed by guard at San Diego Marine depot

A guard shot and killed a person wielding a knife Friday at the entrance gate to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, authorities said.

The shooting occurred at around noon, San Diego police said.


A car tried to enter the depot through the Gate 5 checkpoint and guards warned it to stop, according to a statement from the depot cited by KGTV-TV.

The driver then got out and approached with a knife “and hostile intent,” the statement said.

“After several warnings the individual was shot by base personnel” and died at the scene, the statement said.

Other details weren’t immediately released.

Since the shooting took place on federal property, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is handling the investigation.

The depot is near San Diego International Airport. Gate 5 is used for visitors. It has security kiosks under a metal awning.

KSWB-TV reported that an SUV with open doors could be seen in one of the visitor lanes, and a body covered by a tarp lay a short distance away under the gate’s awning.

The Marine Recruit Depot, which trains recruits mainly from west of the Mississippi River, handles tens of thousands of recruits each year. The depot is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.