Three people were shot at a party in Chula Vista today, prompting a nearby off-duty police officer to spring into action and open fire on a gunman, a police department spokesman said.
The officer-involved shooting at 627 Fifth Ave. was reported shortly after 12:20 a.m., Chula Vista police spokesman Bernard Gonzales said. Later, three people were found with wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening.
The officer said he heard gunfire and went outside to see a man with a handgun among a crowd in the street, Gonzales said.
After the suspect fired a shot, the officer fired a round and took cover, Gonzales said. It was not immediately clear if the suspect shot at the officer or someone in the crowd.
The officer's bullet hit no one, he said. Backup officers arrived and took control of the situation, he said.
According to Gonzales, several people were being questioned, but he could not immediately say if the gunman was among them.
In a nearby home, a woman was found shot in a leg, a man with a shoulder wound and a second man with an arm wound, Gonzales said.
