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Andre Mendez

Age : 33

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 02/18/2026

Location : 600 block of N Twin Oaks Valley Rd

City : San Marcos

County : San Diego

State : California

Agency : San Diego County Sheriff’s Department

Officer(s) :Officer Kyle Hodges, Deputies Jake Brown, Chalit Caranto, Thomas Cook, Sean Dwyer, Justin Tesar

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during disturbance response

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 02/18/2026, San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call for a disturbance involving a man reported to be behaving erratically in the 600 block of North Twin Oaks Valley Road in San Marcos. Deputies located the man and attempted to make contact, and the situation escalated during the encounter. Deputies opened fire and struck him during the confrontation. He was transported to a hospital where he later died from his injuries. Authorities stated the incident began as a disturbance call rather than a violent felony investigation. The Sheriff’s Homicide Unit and the District Attorney’s Office responded to conduct the required investigation. Deputies Chalit Caranto and Thomas Cook were identified in a prior fatal deputy shooting in Spring Valley on Nov. 15, 2024 involving Victor Rendon Jr. The City of San Diego identification memo lists Deputy Thomas Cook and Deputy Chalit Caranto among the deputies who fired in that 2024 case. That 2024 shooting later became the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit, and the reporting again names Caranto and Cook as involved deputies.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/north-county-news/san-marcos-deputy-involved-shooting-leaves-one-injured
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/1-injured-open-fire-san-marcos/3982658/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/deputy-involved-shooting-san-marcos-064646466.html