SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego County Sheriff's Department has identified the officer who shot and killed a man after attacking two women with a machete at a Fairmount Park home.
SDPD Officer Mitchel Tani has been with the department for nine years and is currently assigned to the Canine Unit.
A sheriff's department spokesperson said during a press conference the 48-year-old suspect, who is believed to be the nephew of the victims, barricaded himself inside the home's bathroom after the attack on August 23.
Law enforcement did say it was a family dispute. The women, who are 73 and 79-years-old, were both injured in the attack. One of them had cuts on their head, while the other had cuts on their neck. One of the victims called 911 and they were taken to the hospital.
Police sent a K-9 into the home, and the suspect attacked it. The spokesperson says it's unclear if he used the machete to hit the dog. Officers did use a chemical agent to try to force the man out of the bathroom.
The sheriff's department says the man then lunged at a police officer. That's when Officer Tani shot and killed the suspect, according to the sheriff's department. No officers were hurt in this incident.
An SDPD watch commander initially told ABC 10News that the incident started around 8:11 a.m., when dispatchers received a call about a mental health incident in the 1500 block of Bridgeview Drive.
The sheriff's department now says it's too soon to say if a mental health episode started this incident.
This is a developing story. Stay with ABC 10News as we work to gather the latest details.
