A man was found outside his truck with a fatal gunshot wound to his head after he crashed down an embankment in El Cajon on Tuesday evening, a California Highway Patrol officer said.
A stretch of westbound Interstate 8 was closed for several hours as CHP officers investigated the incident.
Callers initially told the CHP that a driver heading west on I-8 near Mollison Avenue had lost control and gone off the freeway before landing upright on the Mollison on-ramp, said CHP Officer Jared Grieshaber.
A short time later someone called 911 to report the driver was out of his vehicle and that it appeared he had been shot, Grieshaber said. A gun was found nearby. The man died before he could be taken to a hospital.
The driver was the only person in his vehicle. A dog that was riding in the truck was found to be uninjured and was taken by a Humane Society officer, Grieshaber said.
Investigators are still trying to talk with witnesses and family members of the driver to determine exactly what occurred, but there is no indication anyone else was involved in the shooting, Grieshaber said.
Officers closed all lanes of westbound I-8 in the area as well as the on-ramp for several hours. Lanes were reopened by 2 a.m.
