SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego man has been charged, accused of killing an elderly man while trying to burglarize a veterinary clinic in the Rolando neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.
According to the San Diego Police Department, 37-year-old Patrick O'Brien is charged with murder in the death of an 88-year-old man.
The incident happened at 3:29 p.m. in the 7000 block of El Cajon Boulevard. SDPD says officers received a call about a burglary-in-process at a veterinary clinic and when they arrived at the scene, they found a person who made a citizen's arrest and detained O'Brien behind the building.
Police say when they went inside the clinic to investigate the scene, they found the victim suffering from a head wound. The elderly man was taken to a hospital where he died a little over an hour later. His name has not been released to the public pending family notifications.
Detectives say they are still trying to figure out what led to the elderly man being killed, but it appears the man interrupted a possible burglary when a confrontation between himself and Obrien ensued. During the confrontation, the victim was injured and received a wound on his head.
The exact cause of his death is pending examination by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office. O’Brien was taken into custody by officers at the scene and he was subsequently arrested and booked into jail.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at 619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
