A 25-year-old man who was found mortally wounded in a La Mesa street earlier this month has been identified by authorities as Essa Faraj.
Police were called to High Street near Waite Drive shortly after midnight on July 13 by a 911 caller who saw a man staggering across the street and then falling in the driveway of an apartment complex. Officers said the man was suffering from several gunshot wounds to his upper torso. He died before he could be taken to a hospital.
There were no calls reporting gunshots in the area. A light-colored sedan was seen driving west on High Street shortly before the victim was spotted, but it is not known if the vehicle is related to the shooting, police said.
Faraj was a La Mesa resident and may have been walking in the area shortly before he was shot, police Lt. Katy Lynch said. Whether the incident occurred in a vehicle or someplace else is still under investigation, she said. No other details were released.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call La Mesa police at (619) 667-1400 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
