Deputy shoots, kills man in Encinitas

A man who reportedly pointed a gun in the direction of a Sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed the morning of March 27 in the 2000 block of Shadytree Lane in Village Park.

On March 30, the man was identified as 56-year-old Gary Kendrick in a Sheriff’s Department press release. The release also states the deputy who fatally shot Kendrick was Steven Block, who has been with the department for less than five years.

It all began when someone on the street called 911 at about 9:26 a.m. but hung up before any information was relayed, said Lt. John Maryon of the Sheriff’s Homicide Detail about two hours after the shooting.

When Block and another deputy arrived, a witness told them Kendrick was in a nearby grassy area with a shotgun.

They located Kendrick, who was in a seated position and pointing a shotgun at himself, according to a March 27 Sheriff’s Department press release. After being ordered to drop the gun, Kendrick told the deputies to shoot him and then pointed the shotgun in the direction of a deputy.

Fearing for his safety, Block fired several rounds from his department-issued AR-15 rifle, striking and incapacitating Kendrick, the release states.

Kendrick fell to the ground and again attempted to point the shotgun at the deputy, according to the release. Block shot the man again. One stray round hit a neighbor’s home, but no one was injured, Maryon said.

CPR was administered, but the man died at the scene.

Following the shooting, caution tape was strung up to form a perimeter around the neighborhood.

Detectives from the Sheriff’s Homicide Detail then began investigating the shooting.

As deputies were responding to the call, the dispatcher advised them there was a history of weapons at the residence. They were also told that deputies had been to the house earlier in the week, according to the release.

Brenda Esparza, who lives in a nearby cul-de-sac, heard the four shots. Moments later, she looked in the direction of the sounds and saw CPR being performed on the man for 10 minutes.

“It’s crazy because nothing happens around here,” Esparza said about two hours after the shooting. “It’s Village Park; it’s really quiet and you know everyone around here.”

She added: “A lot of people got scared when they heard the gunshots.”