The off-duty officer who shot and killed the man that stabbed him multiple times at a Fiesta Island incident Oct. 2 has been identified as San Diego Community College District police officer Victor Bocaya, according to SDCCD Police Chief Joseph Ramos.
Bocaya, a 25-year veteran of the SDCCD Police Department, was rushed to a local hospital with “serious injuries” the day of the incident and is now home resting, according to Ramos.
“I think that he is needing some time just to kind of process this thing,” Ramos told City Times Media over the phone. “He was pretty savagely attacked. He could have been killed, quite frankly.”
The deceased man, identified as a 41-year-old white male, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to an Oct. 2 San Diego Police Department news release.
Local media has identified the man but City Times has not been able to independently verify that information.
As reported in the news release, the preliminary investigation indicated the officer was confronted by the suspect shortly after arriving on the island with his dogs.
A knife was recovered on the sand near the assailant. The firearm was determined to be Bocaya’s personal weapon, according to the report.
Ramos said Bocaya, a current member of the SDCCD District Governance Council as the Police Officers Association Representative, is authorized to carry either a department firearm or his own personal firearm while off-duty.
The SDCCD Police Department will conduct an administrative investigation into the officer’s discharge of his firearm, according to the SDPD. The investigation will determine whether any policy violations were made by the officer in terms of being armed, being off-duty and defending himself, Ramos said.
The police chief told City Times that Bocaya is not assigned to a specific campus beat, but assigned district-wide coverage on his watch.
Despite Bocaya being off-duty, the incident is being investigated as an officer-involved shooting by the SDPD.
According to the publicly accessible Brady List, the police veteran has no formal complaints filed against him. The Brady List is a record maintained by prosecutors that lists law enforcement officers and other individuals whose credibility or past conduct may be relevant to the defense in criminal cases, according to its website.
Bocaya was one of four SDCCD officers recognized for his work in 2010.
In a statement issued Oct. 2 regarding the incident, the SDCCD said it was focusing on the condition of the officer.
“Our thoughts are with him and his family at this time,” the district statement said. “The District is cooperating with the San Diego Police Department on the investigation.”
As of Oct. 7, San Diego police had no new information on the incident or investigation, Lieutenant Jud Campbell told City Times by phone. An update on the incident is expected as late as Oct 9, Campbell said.
Update Oct. 8 at 4:30 p.m.: The story was updated to include updated information obtained in City Times’ interview with SDCCD Police Chief Joseph Ramos, information identifying Victor Bocaya, and his role and history with the SDCCD.
