Security officer one of two killed at shootout at San Diego apartment
San Diego Cali. March 7 2024 A man who allegedly took part in a suspected gang-related shooting that fatally wounded two men last week at a Grantville-area apartment complex was behind bars Wednesday and facing murder charges, authorities said.
Charles Patrick Burke Jr., 31, was arrested Tuesday afternoon at a Rancho Bernardo gas station in connection with the deadly gunfire in the 4500 block of Alvarado Canyon Road, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Burke allegedly was one of at least three assailants who opened fire shortly before 9 p.m. Friday during a confrontation with people gathered near a pool at the residential complex just north of Interstate 8 and east of Fairmount Avenue, SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said.
The shooting gravely wounded 24-year-old Lavion Estridge, who worked as a security guard at the complex, and San Diego resident Joseph Taylor, 31. Officers found two victims, men in their 20s and 30s, in a stairwell who were then taken to the hospital, SDPD Officer D. Abernathy said. Paramedics took the victims to a trauma center, where they were pronounced dead.
What prompted the deadly gunfire remains under investigation.
“These details will still have to be confirmed through a comprehensive evaluation of the physical evidence,” Campbell said Wednesday.
“I started to cry because I was a little scared,” Grantville resident Sydnie Feder said, recalling the harrowing moments after the shooting. “Right as I got into my friend’s car, that’s when I got a text from one of my roommate’s girlfriends saying, ‘Did you hear the gunshots by the pool?’ “
Sam Monziardini, another Grantville resident, said this incident was too close to home.
“The pool area is right next to the gym, and we go there at least a couple times per week, and we’ve gone swimming there a couple of times, and we were just in the hot tub last weekend,” Monziardini said.
Feder said management at the apartment complex is keeping them updated.
“They sent out an email maybe early (Saturday) morning and another in the afternoon,” Feder said. “It was basically saying the stuff that was on the articles like, ‘Hey, here’s what happened, and there’s going to be an ongoing investigation, and there’s going to be 24/7 security for a few days.'”
Monziardini said more security and a permanent presence are what he wants to see.
“You never know if anything like that can happen here again,” Monziardini said.
Burke was booked into San Diego Central Jail, where he was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Police have publicly identified no other suspects in the case.
