SAN DIEGO (AP) — Authorities say a suspected killer grabbed a nailgun before he was shot by a San Diego County sheriff's sergeant.
Fifty-two-year-old Craig Petersen was sought for stabbing an acquaintance in Borrego Springs when his car was spotted Wednesday afternoon at a Park and Ride lot in the Descanso area.
Sgt. Roy Frank tells the San Diego Union-Tribune that Petersen was in the cargo bed. As the sergeant approached, he grabbed something that looked like a weapon and the sergeant shot him in the chest. The object turned out to be a nailgun.
Petersen was suspected of stabbing to death 71-year-old George Mendenhall in his Borrego Springs garage earlier Wednesday.
Authorities say he'd known Mendenhall for about 10 years and sometimes worked for him. The motive for the attack is under investigation.
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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
