National City : Shooting Victim Identified; 2 Suspects in Chase Held

A high-speed chase, involving three men believed to be suspects in an armed robbery of a National City supermarket, ended late Monday with the fatal shooting of one of the suspects by a National City reserve police officer, San Diego police reported.

The dead man was identified Tuesday as Keith Aloysius Nance, 27, of the 700 block of Goetschl Street in San Diego, according to the San Diego County Coroner’s office.

San Diego police spokesman Leonard Marcus said the chase began after three men reportedly robbed the Alpha Beta supermarket in the 1000 block of Harbison Avenue in National City shortly after 10 p.m.

According to Marcus, the men fired several shots at a witness who had followed their car as it left the scene. The sound of the shots caught the attention of National City police officers, who then began to pursue the suspects.

The chase ended in a dead-end street in the 500 block of South Gregory Street in Southeast San Diego, where the suspects attempted to flee. Police said one suspect, Craig Mack, 23, a transient, began fighting with National City Police Officer David T. Sossamen, who drew and fired his service revolver once. Mack was not shot but suffered a blow to the head in the scuffle.

One suspect escaped after National City Officer Lanny B. Roark fired several shots and missed. The suspect, whom police identified as Henry Lee Hendrix, 23, of San Diego, was arrested Tuesday morning in connection with the incident. He is being held in County Jail on suspicion of murder.

Police said Nance, armed with a .22-caliber handgun, turned toward Reserve Officer Donald E. Fravel, who responded by firing one shot from his 12-gauge shotgun, striking him in the head and back. Nance was pronounced dead at the scene by a Life Flight doctor.

Mack was treated at Paradise Valley Hospital for a cut to the scalp and was released into the custody of National City police, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was booked into County Jail on suspicion of murder, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Police said murder charges are ordinarily included in any crime-related deaths.

San Diego police homicide detectives are investigating the incident.