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"All officers, all officers. There is an officer shot—there is an officer shot! He's still breathing!" It was Saturday, August 6, 2011, about 5:30 p.m., when these chilling words came over the San Diego Police radio. These words did not come from the trained voice of a professional police officer, but from the panicked voice of a female passerby pleading for help. This was the first indication that San Diego Police Officer Jeremy Henwood had been shot and gravely wounded. The woman and her husband had been in their car stopped at a traffic light behind Officer Henwood's patrol car. Officer Henwood was traveling alone. The couple watched in horror as a black male, in a black Audi, pulled up along side the patrol car. A shotgun barrel emerged from the passenger side window of the Audi and a man opened fire on the unsuspecting officer. Who knows what Officer Henwood was thinking at that moment as he waited patiently for the traffic signal to change? What were his thoughts when his world was shattered? Like most of us, he could have been thinking about his family, his last call, or looking forward to an upcoming vacation. Or, he could have been thinking about just leaving a fast food restaurant where he had purchased food for a needy person. Regardless, in mid-thought, Officer Jeremy Henwood's world was jerked suddenly and violently from his grasp. The police dispatcher immediately broadcast "1199" — code for "an officer needs help!" As police officers arrived on scene, the dispatcher made a frantic inquiry, "Is it one of ours?" The answer quickly came, "It is one of ours." "I've got an officer down with a gunshot wound to the head near the left ear!" The 'assassination' of Police Officer Jeremy Henwood began about 5:22 p.m. This is when a black male approached a man in the parking lot of an El Cajon, In-N-Out restaurant, and indiscriminately shot a man in the face with a shotgun. The man apparently did not know the suspect, and was peacefully sitting in his car eating his take-out dinner when he was shot. The suspect immediately fled the scene in a black Audi with paper plates. (The man who was shot miraculously survived.) At 5:25 p.m., an El Cajon police officer, who was unaware of the shooting at the In-N-Out restaurant, attempted to stop a black Audi, which was speeding west on Interstate 8 in El Cajon. The officer activated his red lights and siren and pursued the Audi for what he thought was merely a traffic violation. The officer broke off the pursuit when the speeds reached above 100 miles per hour and the Audi's driver became very erratic in his driving. The suspect vehicle was last seen careening south from Mission Valley on Interstate 15. At 5:29 p.m. a possible link between the shooting and speeding Audi was established and a notification went out to all San Diego County law enforcement agencies. At 5:30 p.m. patrolling San Diego Police Officers were alerted by radio to be on the lookout for the suspect in the black Audi who was involved in the In-N-Out shooting. It was at 5:32 p.m. when a woman picked up the stricken officer's police radio microphone and reported that an officer he had just been shot. Civilians gave first aid to the officer until they were relieved by emergency personnel. Officer Henwood, still alive, was rushed to a nearby hospital.
At about 6 p.m., an officer in a patrolling police helicopter saw a black Audi parked at an apartment complex. The helicopter officer was directing ground units to the address when he saw the suspect, carrying a shotgun, exit an apartment and get into the Audi. Police immediately arrived and blocked the street in an attempt to stop the car. The suspect allegedly pointed the shotgun at police, who opened fire, shooting the suspect. The shooting stopped and the Audi slowly rolled backward into a wrought iron fence. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. A police SWAT team searched the suspect's apartment at about 10 p.m., but found no one inside. According to news reports, a suicide note was found in the suspect's apartment. No motive is known at this time. It could have been a "suicide by cop." At 1:42 a.m., just over eight hours after he was shot, Officer Jeremy Henwood died, the obvious victim of an assassination. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders issued the following statement concerning the death of Officer Henwood — "On behalf of all San Diegans, I offer my deep condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Officer Jeremy Henwood, who was killed in the line of duty. This tragedy is another grim reminder that our police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our community, and we are grateful for their courage and sacrifice."
The following was written in a local newspaper: "As this country fights wars overseas to ensure our security and freedom, we continue to fight another at home. This is the longest war of all. This war is to keep violence and lawlessness at bay and to ensure the security of our citizens. Rest in Peace Officer Jeremy Henwood — your valor will stand forever against evil."
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