Authorities Tuesday were looking into a shooting in Alpine in which a suspect in a San Diego murder investigation was shot dead while he was allegedly advancing toward deputies with a shovel.
The suspect's name was withheld as of early today, however San Diego County sheriff's Lt. Dennis Brugos said the man was wanted in connection with a SDPD homicide investigation from earlier Monday.
At about 5:45 a.m. Monday, SDPD officers who were called to a home on Monette Drive in Serra Mesa found 51-year-old Caridad Hendrix stabbed to death in a bedroom, according to San Diego police, who later designated the victim's husband -- Marquin Anthony Hendrix, 61, -- as an armed and dangerous suspect. Police said he confessed to a relative that he had killed his wife and hinted about being suicidal, and was last seen driving off in a maroon 2004 Chrysler Crossfire.
Shortly after 6 p.m. on Monday, a 911 caller reported seeing a flashing light on a rural hillside, north of Dehesa Road in Alpine, Brugos said, adding that a sheriff's sergeant and deputy responded, believing the light may have been coming from a distressed hiker.
Once there, they learned the light was from a vehicle that had been driven off-road, according to the lieutenant.
The vehicle was unoccupied and authorities recognized it as the same vehicle described by SDPD in connection with the earlier homicide, Brugos said, adding that the SDPD suspect believed to be driving the vehicle also was believed to be armed and dangerous.
After contacting SDPD, deputies began searching the area for the suspect and found him in an enclosed carport, armed with a shovel, which he used to advance toward deputies in a rapid manner, Brugos said.
He allegedly ignored repeated commands to drop the shovel before being fired upon by the deputies. It was not immediately clear how many times he was struck in the gunfire or exactly how many deputies were involved.
Paramedics attempted to save the suspect, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, Brugos said.
