SDPD officer kills axe-wielding man on Friars Road after trolley vandalism call, sheriff says

A San Diego police officer shot and killed a 36-year-old man who authorities say approached him with an axe on Friars Road on Oct. 21, minutes after a report that a man was using an axe to vandalize a trolley car.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office, whose Homicide Unit investigates shootings by San Diego police officers, identified the man on Oct. 26 as Thomas Johnson, a San Diego County resident. The officer who fired is Luisito Fanlo, an eight-year SDPD veteran assigned to patrol in the Western Division, according to the Sheriff's Office.

According to the Sheriff's Office, officers were sent on the afternoon of Oct. 21 to a report of an adult man using an axe to vandalize a trolley at the Morena/Linda Vista Trolley station. NBC 7 reported the call came in at about 3:20 p.m. Officers on the ground and in a police helicopter searched the area. About 15 minutes later an officer found a man matching the description in the 4700 block of Friars Road.

The Sheriff's Office said the man approached the officer while armed with an axe and the officer fired multiple rounds, striking him. Officers called for paramedics and began first aid, and San Diego Fire-Rescue crews continued treatment. Johnson was pronounced dead at about 4:10 p.m. No officers were hurt.

"The subject had an axe with him in his hand and approached the officer," Sheriff's Homicide Lt. Juan Marquez told reporters at the scene, according to NBC 7.

Police closed Friars Road in both directions between Sea World Drive and Napa Street in Morena for several hours during the investigation. SDPD urged drivers on social media to avoid the area.

One television report placed the start of the incident at the Napa Street area rather than the Morena/Linda Vista station. The Sheriff's Office account names the Morena/Linda Vista platform. Two witnesses told NBC 7 they heard two shots. The Sheriff's Office has not said how many rounds were fired, whether the officer's body-worn camera recorded the encounter, or what led Johnson to the trolley.

The Sheriff's Office said the motive and circumstances remain under investigation. When the Homicide Unit finishes, the case goes to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office to decide whether the officer bears any criminal liability. SDPD will conduct its own administrative review of the shooting.

Under state law, California's attorney general investigates police shootings of unarmed civilians. Because authorities say Johnson was armed, the case stays with local investigators and the district attorney.

The Metropolitan Transit System has not released an estimate of damage to the trolley car.