A suspicious death in a City Heights apartment complex that was likely preceded by a fight late Sunday night is being investigated by homicide detectives, San Diego police said.
The incident was initially reported just before midnight after police received a report of a fight occurring on Dawson Avenue south of El Cajon Boulevard, Lt. Jon Dungan said. When officers arrived, they did not find a fight or victims.
Around 8:30 a.m. Monday, dispatch received another call of a man passed out in a stairwell of an apartment complex on 52nd Street, located just behind the building where the original fight was reported, Dungan said. Two hours later, the caller said the man was dead.
Police officers responded with paramedics and pronounced the man dead at the scene. There were no obvious signs of trauma to the man, but the man matched the description of one of the people involved in the fight from earlier, Dungan said.
Homicide investigators were called to the scene, and the county Medical Examiner’s Office is working to determine the cause of death.
The victim was described as a man in his 40s. His name was not released pending his identification and notification of his family, Dungan said.
Detectives are examining physical evidence from the scene and canvassing the area for surveillance footage, investigators said.
Investigators asked anyone with information about the incident to call the homicide unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 888-580-8477.
