Man Shot and Wounded by Police in Mission Bay Park

A 24-year-old man was shot and wounded by a San Diego police officer Friday night in Mission Bay Park after the man reached for what the officer believed to be a weapon, police said.

Jose Oscar Esqueda of the 4500 block of G Street was being questioned by Officer Tom Staley about a recent gang-related assault with a deadly weapon when the shooting occurred, police said.

Esqueda’s wife, Herminia, however, said she did not believe her husband was in a gang or was involved with an assault with a deadly weapon.

“He and his friends hung out there (Mission Bay Park) every once in a while, but they weren’t doing anything that would involve something like that,” she said.

Esqueda was listed in stable condition Saturday at UC San Diego Medical Center after undergoing surgery. A single shot fired by Staley grazed Esqueda’s cheek and tore through his lower lip, police said.

“His wound is serious but not considered life-threatening,” Sgt. Chuck Sleeper said.

Staley and other members of the department’s Beach Enforcement Team were patrolling the Leisure Lagoon area of Mission Bay Park because of reports of youth gang activity there, Sleeper said.

“At approximately 11:10 p.m., Staley and his partner, Officer Greg Hewitt, approached a parked car with two men in it,” Sleeper read from a prepared statement. “Staley said he recognized the driver (Esqueda) as a youth gang member that he believed was involved in a recent assault with a deadly weapon.

“During the contact, Officer Staley’s attention was momentarily diverted. When he looked back, the driver was bent forward, and appeared to be reaching under the seat. Believing that the driver was reaching for a weapon, Officer Staley fired a single shot, striking the driver in the side of the face.”

Esqueda was taken from the car and given first aid, Sleeper said, and was taken by Life Flight helicopter to the hospital.

The passenger in the car, Ruben Aguayo, 20, was questioned by homicide detectives and released. No weapon was found in the car during a search by officers.

An internal Police Department investigation is being conducted, which is standard procedure when there is an officer involved in a shooting, Sleeper said.

Staley has been reassigned to desk duty pending the outcome of the investigation, also considered routine in this type of incident.