No criminal charges filed against security guard in fatal shooting at Ralphs in downtown San Diego
San Diego CA April 1 2021 A 51-year-old security guard will not face criminal charges in the fatal shooting of a man at a Ralphs grocery store in downtown San Diego, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The decision was made after police officials and prosecutors determined the Feb. 12 homicide was justified and that the security guard acted in self-defense.
Police said there was a confrontation in the store before the shooting, and the man threw a bottle at the security guard.
“There were no charges filed in this case because there was no prosecutable case,” said Tanya Sierra, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office.
Police on Tuesday identified the man who was killed as 31-year-old Zhadius Penn, who a lieutenant said “did not appear to have an established residence.”
Penn was shot just before 9:30 p.m. at the Ralphs on G Street near First Avenue.
San Diego police Lt. Andra Brown, who oversaw the homicide investigation, said Penn was suspected of shoplifting alcohol, which led to the confrontation between him and the security guard. The guard suffered lacerations to his head when Penn threw a bottle, Brown said.
The guard fired his handgun from inside the Ralphs, striking Penn, who was just outside the store.
Police found Penn lying on a sidewalk in front of an entrance to the Ralphs. He was unresponsive. Officers and medics performed CPR on him before he was taken to a hospital, where he died.
The security guard was detained and later released. Police declined to release his name and did not respond to questions about what company he worked for. Ralphs representatives couldn’t be reached for comment.
