A man who was turned away from an Otay Mesa Church’s Chicken for trying to buy a meal with a counterfeit $100 bill later returned and shot three employees, one fatally, police and witnesses said.

Police are still searching for the gunman, who was described as a thin, black man in his 30s. He was about 6 feet tall and was last seen wearing a blue Chargers beanie, red sunglasses, basketball shorts and a light blue sweater.

One of the employees, a 28-year-old woman, was rushed to a hospital where she died, police said. Two other employees were injured in the shooting but are in stable condition.

The victims were not identified.


The shooting happened around 5:30 p.m. at the fast-food restaurant on Del Sol and Picador boulevards, a busy area near businesses, homes and a school.

A witness was filling a water container at a dispenser outside a nearby 7-Eleven when the first shots rang out. He said he turned toward Church’s Chicken and could clearly see a man firing more shots at employees behind the counter.

The witness said he ran inside the convenience store with his wife and told employees to call 911. He then ran over to the restaurant. All the victims were employees, he said.


1 / 9 San Diego Chief of Police, David Nisleit (r) looks through the window where three employees at the Church’s Chicken eatery on Del Sol Blvd and Picador Blvd. in south San Diego were shot by gunman. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 9 San Diego Police officer talks on a cellphone in front of the Church’s Chicken restaurant. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 9 A San Diego Police officers seals off the area as other officers question witnesses just outside the Otay Mesa eatery. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 9 A San Diego Police officers begin questioning witnesses just outside the restaurant. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 9 San Diego Police officer questions a witnesses just outside the local eatery. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/ The San Diego Union-Tribune ) 6 / 9 San Diego police officers responded to a shooting at the Church’s Chicken eatery on Del Sol and Picador boulevards in South San Diego. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 9 Early Wednesday evening on November 6, 2019, at the Church’s Chicken eatery on Del Sol Blvd and Picador Blvd, San Diego Police officers begin questioning witnesses just outside the local eatery. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 9 San Diego Police officers seal off the area around a Church’s Chicken restaurant as other officers question witnesses just outside the Otay Mesa eatery. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 9 A witness is questioned after a shooting at a Church’s Chicken restaurant on Del Sol and Picador boulevards. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Workers at the restaurant told the witness that the shooter was turned away after he tried to make a purchase with counterfeit money. The witness said he was told it was a fake $20 bill. The suspect left the restaurant and moved his car, but returned soon after and opened fire.

The witness is not being named because he fears retaliation.

The gunman was seen leaving the restaurant in a blue car, headed north on Picador, police said. Late Wednesday, the Police Department released a still photo taken from surveillance video of what department officials believe to be the suspect’s car.


San Diego police believe this car was being driven by the gunman who opened fire Wednesday night at a Church’s Chicken in Otay Mesa. (Courtesy of San Diego Police Department)

Dozens of police officers descended on the area and the restaurant was cordoned off. San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit was seen speaking with investigators.

San Diego police Capt. Tom Underwood confirmed an altercation between the gunman and employees sparked the shooting. Although police didn’t specify what the argument was about, an officer said a counterfeit $100 bill was involved. Underwood added that customers were inside the restaurant when the shooter opened fire, but none was targeted or injured.

David Walker was also near the 7-Eleven when the gunfire began. He said he had just eaten at Church’s Chicken and was sitting in his car waiting for his shift at the convenience store to start when he heard what sounded like fireworks. People around the restaurant began to scatter, and a vehicle in the drive-thru lane sped off, Walker said.


“I see the (suspect) run out, and my concentration was on him, until I saw the back door open, and I saw (a) guy fall out, bleeding,” Walker said.

One of the injured employees stumbled outside and Walker rushed to help. He said he immediately took off his belt and wrapped it around the worker’s injured arm. The employee may have been shot in the side as well.

“He had another hole in him — I tried to plug that until the police got here,” Walker said. “I was telling him to calm his breathing, talk to me about his family, tell me about his kids and everything, just to calm his breathing down.”

Residents who live near the restaurant walked to the scene to learn more about what had happened. Many of them said they feel the neighborhood is generally very safe, despite the occasional minor crime.


Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.