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Scholar Wang

Age : 48

Gender : Male

Race : Asian

Date : 08/23/2022

Location : 1500 block of Bridgeview Drive

City : San Diego

County : San Diego

State : California

Agency : San Diego Police Department

Officer(s) :Mitchel Tani

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during disturbance call

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/23/2022, San Diego Police Department Officer Mitchel Tani shot and killed 48-year-old Scholar Wang inside a residence in the 1500 block of Bridgeview Drive in San Diego's Fairmount Park neighborhood. Police had been dispatched shortly after 8:00 a.m. after a 911 call reporting a family disturbance in which Wang allegedly assaulted his two elderly aunts, ages 73 and 79, who lived at the residence with him.
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According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, which investigated the police shooting, the altercation began following a verbal argument. Police alleged that Wang struck the two women with a broken piece of a chair or other metal or wooden object. One woman suffered a head laceration and the other a neck laceration; later reporting also described wrist and forearm fractures. Both women were transported to hospitals and survived.
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When officers entered the residence, Wang had barricaded himself inside a bathroom. Police attempted to persuade him to come out and surrender during a standoff that lasted nearly two hours. Wang could be heard responding to officers in both English and Vietnamese. Officers subsequently pumped pepper spray into the bathroom through a window, but Wang remained inside.
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Police then entered through a rear patio door and removed furniture that Wang had placed as a barrier in the hallway leading to the bathroom. Officers forced open the bathroom door and deployed a police dog to apprehend Wang. Body-worn-camera footage shows the dog entering the bathroom while officers remained immediately outside.
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Police alleged that Wang struck the dog with a long piece of metal while the dog was biting or attempting to apprehend him. The object was later described as a sharp, ridged piece of metal approximately two feet long and two inches wide. The police dog sustained a superficial facial injury.
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Officer Tani, a member of the department's Canine Unit, moved toward the bathroom to gain control of the dog. Police alleged that Wang repeatedly raised the metal object over his head and appeared prepared to strike Tani. Tani fired three rounds, striking Wang.
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Officers provided medical treatment before paramedics transported Wang to a hospital, where he died. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department Homicide Unit conducted the criminal investigation into Tani's shooting, while San Diego police conducted an administrative review.
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The San Diego Police Department released critical-incident video and body-worn-camera footage on 09/06/2022. The footage documented the lengthy interaction preceding the shooting, the use of pepper spray, officers forcing entry into the barricaded bathroom, deployment of the police dog and Tani firing three shots.
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In 2024, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office released its review of the shooting and declined criminal prosecution of Tani. Prosecutors concluded that Tani reasonably believed Wang presented an imminent threat when Wang raised the metal bar as Tani approached the bathroom to retrieve the police dog.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Mitchel Tani had served with the San Diego Police Department for nine years when he killed Wang and was assigned to the department's Canine Unit. Tani was placed on desk duty while the shooting was investigated.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2022/09/06/bodycam-video-shows-suspect-attacking-dog-before-fatal-fairmount-park-police-shooting/
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/police-release-bodycam-video-from-fatal-city-heights-shooting/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQmH4anQ3co
https://www.sdsheriff.gov/Home/Components/News/News/1428/514
https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2022/08/24/suspect-shot-to-death-by-san-diego-police-at-fairmount-park-home-idd-as-scholar-wang/
https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2022/09/01/police-id-officer-who-fatally-shot-armed-domestic-violence-suspect-in-fairmont-park/
https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2024/08/02/das-office-releases-reviews-clearing-eight-local-law-enforcement-officers-in-six-shootings/
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/20220906_release_of_video_footage_from_officer-involved_shooting.pdf