Policeman Fatally Shoots Man in Adams Avenue Antique Store

A San Diego police officer shot and killed a man in a Normal Heights antique shop Thursday after the man refused to drop his weapon and lunged at the officer’s partner.

Officer David Bertrand, 27, shot the man shortly before 8 p.m. at Ye Ol’tique Etc. on Adams Avenue. Bertrand and his partner, Michael Prutzman, were investigating a report that a man inside was threatening the owner, Clifford Smith.

The victim, 48-year-old Antonio Lacsina of the 4700 block of Oregon Avenue in Normal Heights, was Smith’s roommate. Lacsina apparently entered the store about 7:30 p.m. and started screaming at Smith and threatening him with a knife, authorities said.

Elizabeth Junkersfeld, a furniture repairer for Ye Ol’tique, and Smith were the only ones in the shop when Lacsina arrived.

“I knew Tony,” Junkersfeld said. “He had violent outbursts before but never like this. He was like a crazy man. He kept shouting at Cliff, saying, ‘I’m going to kill you, wreck your store and all your beautiful things!’ God knows what he was so mad about.”

Soon after Lacsina started yelling, Junkersfeld said, she called police but was interrupted when Lacsina noticed her.

“I dropped the phone and ran toward the back door when I saw Tony running toward me with the knife,” Junkersfeld said. “Cliff and I tried talking to him to calm him down. When Cliff got his attention, I ran back to the phone and told the police operator what was going on--it was crazy.”

Within minutes, Bertrand and Prutzman arrived and confronted Lacsina, who was at the north end of the store. Lacsina walked to a display case, turned and started yelling again, and then pulled a knife from a sheath on his waist and lunged toward Prutzman, police said.

According to Junkersfeld, Lacsina was only a few feet from the officers when he was shot.

“There is no question that the officer did the right thing,” Junkersfeld said. “Tony was ready to leap at anybody who was in his way. The officer had no other option but to do what he did.”

Junkersfeld said she, Smith and the officers all seemed shocked after the shooting.

“It was strange. For several seconds, everyone just stood still and stared at each other,” she said. “I think they were shocked that they shot someone.

“All I remember him (Bertrand) saying was: ‘You did see him pull a knife, didn’t you?’ ”