ROWLAND HEIGHTS : Man Killed in Scuffle With Off-Duty Deputy
An off-duty sheriff’s deputy accidentally shot and killed a possibly intoxicated man who challenged him to a fight at a Rowland Heights restaurant, a sheriff’s spokesman said Monday.
Deputy Thomas Kirsch, 47, was in Whitney’s Steak House, 19055 S. Colima Road, about 9:30 p.m. Sunday when another patron created a disturbance, said Deputy Rich Erickson.
The patron, a 29-year-old Rowland Heights man who apparently had been drinking heavily, challenged Kirsch to a fight, Erickson said. Hoping to avoid a confrontation inside the lounge, Kirsch agreed to walk outside with the man, who without provocation knocked the deputy to the ground, Erickson said.
A struggle ensued and Kirsch’s handgun accidentally discharged, hitting the man once in the upper body, Erickson said. The man died at Brea Community Hospital. His name was not released pending notification of relatives. The shooting is under investigation.
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