The incident began with a 911 call reporting a man sitting in the middle of the street, expressing suicidal intentions. According to the police department's own footage, Epple was located sitting inside a black Mercedes-Benz sedan near Coronado Avenue and Guizot Street. Rather than approaching with care or calm, Officer Miranda is heard shouting aggressively: "Hey, what the fuck are you doing, man?!" to which Epple immediately responds, "I wanna die. Please shoot me. Please, please, I want to fucking die."
Instead of deploying mental health resources or trained crisis negotiators, Miranda escalated the situation. Drawing his gun, he ordered Epple out of the car, yelling profanities and showing no evidence of de-escalation training or psychological support. Epple then fled in his vehicle.
The pursuit continued through residential neighborhoods until Epple crashed near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. He exited his car holding a knife and again implored police to shoot him. Miranda reportedly drew a taser, but Epple returned to his car and fled again. A second crash occurred at Bermuda Avenue and Ebers Street, after which multiple officers arrived.
At that scene, officers again attempted to subdue Epple with tasers as he held a knife to his throat and repeated his desire to die. "Please leave me alone or kill me," he said, visibly in pain from the taser shocks. "I want to die. I’m about to slit my own throat." Even as Officer Miranda acknowledged aloud that Epple could not drop the knife while being tased, and a female officer appeared to have Epple temporarily incapacitated at the car door, the confrontation spiraled.
Epple got back into the drive"s seat, knife still in hand, shouting "Shoot me, please!" One officer shouted "Drop it! and Miranda then fired multiple rounds as Epple approached him from the vehicle. As Epple collapsed, he was heard saying, "Thank you." He was transported to a hospital, where he died.
Throughout the footage, Epple made his intentions heartbreakingly clear: he was seeking help - or an end. Instead, he was met with shouting, threats, and ultimately, gunfire.
This shooting raises urgent questions about SDPD’s handling of mental health crises and the lack of de-escalation tactics shown. Despite widespread departmental promises to improve response to such situations, including the implementation of Psychiatric Emergency Response Teams (PERT), no such unit appears to have been involved. Officer Miranda's conduct - from aggressive language to contradictory commands and ultimately fatal force - suggests a breakdown in both training and judgment.
Epple's death also highlights the systemic failure to respond humanely to individuals in psychological distress. He did not appear to be a violent suspect threatening public safety; he was a man in anguish, clearly stating he wanted to die. Instead of treatment or compassion, he received gunfire. His verbal gratitude upon collapsing to what was the beginning of his ultimate demise—murmuring “thank you” after being shot—was not a sign of peace, but a devastating reflection of despair and a system that failed to offer him any other way out.
Epple got back into the drive"s seat, knife still in hand, shouting "Shoot me, please!" One officer shouted "Drop it! and Miranda then fired multiple rounds as Epple approached him from the vehicle. As Epple collapsed, he was heard saying, "Thank you." He was transported to a hospital, where he died.
Throughout the footage, Epple made his intentions heartbreakingly clear: he was seeking help - or an end. Instead, he was met with shouting, threats, and ultimately, gunfire.
This shooting raises urgent questions about SDPD’s handling of mental health crises and the lack of de-escalation tactics shown. Despite widespread departmental promises to improve response to such situations, including the implementation of Psychiatric Emergency Response Teams (PERT), no such unit appears to have been involved. Officer Miranda's conduct - from aggressive language to contradictory commands and ultimately fatal force - suggests a breakdown in both training and judgment.
Epple's death also highlights the systemic failure to respond humanely to individuals in psychological distress. He did not appear to be a violent suspect threatening public safety; he was a man in anguish, clearly stating he wanted to die. Instead of treatment or compassion, he received gunfire. His verbal gratitude upon collapsing to what was the beginning of his ultimate demise—murmuring “thank you” after being shot—was not a sign of peace, but a devastating reflection of despair and a system that failed to offer him any other way out.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is now investigating the incident, with oversight from the District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and SDPD Internal Affairs. But for many, including mental health advocates and civil liberties groups, the damage is already done. What might have been a preventable tragedy instead became another example of a system that continues to meet cries for help with bullets.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the San Diego Access & Crisis Line at 1-888-724-7240. Help is available. The video of the incident is below. Viewer discretion is advise.
