San Diego Shooting: Gunman Killed In Mass Shooting At Apartment Complex, Police Investigating Possible Hate Crime

Police officers in San Diego shot and killed a gunman identified as Peter Selis, who opened fire inside of a gated pool area at the La Jolla Crossroads complex in San Diego on Sunday. The incident left one person dead and seven others wounded, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said Selis, 49, appeared to be shooting black people in the pool area around 6 p.m. EDT Sunday, according to 911 dispatchers. Selis was shot by police officers after he killed one person and pointed his gun at the police officers.

Selis opened fire on seven people and an eighth person was said to have broken his arm while trying to escape the gunfire, according to officials. Zimmerman said a large number of people were celebrating a birthday party at the San Diego apartment complex — an upscale block where flats range from $1,750 to $4,000 a month — when the incident took place.

"The suspect pointed the gun at our officers and three of our officers fired on the suspect and the suspect went down and the suspect is deceased," the police chief said.

The victims' names have not been released yet by the officials. Zimmerman said some of the injured during the gunfire were in critical condition late Sunday night.

One of Selis' victims was an African-American female who later succumbed to her injuries and died. Other victims included three African-American females, two African-American males and one Hispanic male. They were all being treated at a nearby hospital for gunshot injuries, according to San Diego police.

Police said it was not clear how many people were present at the pool during the time of the shooting. However, officials believe one person among the people at the birthday celebrations lived at the complex. "We don't know if he knew any of the victims," Zimmerman said.

The police also confirmed that the suspect resided in the complex. He was said to have been "reloading his gun in the pool area," a 911 dispatcher claimed in an initial audio from the scene, according to Fox 5 San Diego. Selis was initially described in the dispatch audio as a white male, aged 40.

A witness told Fox 5 he saw three people shot on a sidewalk at the apartment complex. "We looked at the pool area where the shooter was sitting there with a beer in one hand and a gun in the other. The suspect looked pretty relaxed, pretty relaxed," the witness added.

Zimmerman said officials were trying to identify the suspect's motive and could not say if the incident could be termed as a hate crime.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer referred to the incident as a "senseless" act of violence in a tweet early Monday morning and offered condolences to the family of the deceased family and said he was praying for the injured.

Zimmerman also offered condolences and prayed for the victims' recovery.

San Diego court records found by the police showed Selis had a legal divorce from his wife Michelle in 2008. They had minor children at the time. There was also a 2013 wedding registry at Macy's for Peter Selis and a woman named Patricia Martinez.