Yan Li was a 47-year-old biostatistician and Yale doctoral graduate who was fatally shot by San Diego police and sheriff’s deputies inside her Little Italy condominium on March 3, 2022, during what began as the service of an eviction notice. Four officers fired at least a dozen rounds after Li stabbed a K-9 handler in the chest with a kitchen knife. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office later cleared all four officers of criminal liability, and the City of San Diego settled a federal wrongful death lawsuit brought by Li’s son for $125,000 in April 2024.
Who Yan Li Was
Li held a doctorate in biostatistics from the Yale School of Public Health, where she won a student award and co-authored research on HIV and pregnancy outcomes.1Yale Daily News. Yale Doctoral Graduate Fatally Shot by San Diego Police Officer and Deputies At the time of her death she was living on the 400 block of West Beech Street in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood. Her son was a student at UC Berkeley.
What Happened on March 3, 2022
San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Bunch went to Li’s condo to serve an eviction notice. When she opened the door, she was holding a kitchen knife at her side. Bunch drew his service weapon and ordered her to drop it. Li questioned whether he was a real officer, yelled for someone to “call the police,” and closed the door.2NBC San Diego. San Diego DA Clears 3 Deputies, 1 Officer of Criminal Liability in Deadly Shooting of Woman in Little Italy Condo Bunch called for backup. The Sheriff’s Department later said a condo manager and a maintenance worker had told deputies that Li threatened them with a knife the previous day, which deputies cited as probable cause to arrest her on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
Less than an hour later, a larger contingent returned, including San Diego Police officers and a K-9 unit. They entered using a key provided by building management.3KPBS. San Diego Law Enforcement Criticized Over Deadly Shooting at Little Italy Condo Inside, officers deployed flash-bang grenades and a beanbag gun. They found Li partially behind a bedroom door still holding the knife. Beanbag rounds struck her but had no effect, and she did not comply with commands to drop the weapon.
Li ran out of the bedroom toward the officers, who retreated into the hallway near the front door. She thrust the knife at the dog-handling officer, stabbing him in the chest. According to the District Attorney’s review, Li then raised the knife over her head and swung it downward in what appeared to be a second stabbing attempt. San Diego Police Officer Rogelio Medina, Sheriff’s Sergeant Daniel Nickel, and Sheriff’s Deputies Javier Medina and David Williams opened fire, discharging at least twelve rounds.2NBC San Diego. San Diego DA Clears 3 Deputies, 1 Officer of Criminal Liability in Deadly Shooting of Woman in Little Italy Condo Li collapsed in the hallway and died at the scene.
The Mental Health Crisis Question
The central dispute in the case has been whether officers recognized and responded appropriately to what observers described as a mental health crisis. A neighbor and former HOA board member, James Dean, said he approached deputies outside Li’s door and told them she had a mental health condition, urging them to call for a Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) rather than use force. “I repeatedly told them, they needed a psychologist first and to not use force as the only solution,” Dean wrote in a letter later read publicly by the Alliance of Chinese Americans.4Fox 5 San Diego. Community Organizers Seek Justice in Little Italy Law Enforcement Shooting Dean said Li was “well-known to SDPD” and had emotional and mental disorders.5NBC San Diego. Authorities Acted Irrationally in Shooting Death of Little Italy Woman, Her Colleagues Say
A PERT clinician had been called, but the team had not arrived by the time deputies made their second contact with Li, and no mental health professional was present during the encounter.6San Diego Union-Tribune. Police and Deputies Shot Our Colleague in Her Apartment. She Should Still Be Alive Today Then-Dean of the Yale School of Public Health Sten Vermund asked, “When you see this indication of mental confusion, then why not think of it as a mental health concern?” He said the initial deputy’s response of drawing his weapon and screaming obscenities was “not likely to reduce paranoia.”1Yale Daily News. Yale Doctoral Graduate Fatally Shot by San Diego Police Officer and Deputies
The Alliance of Chinese Americans San Diego, joined by more than 30 organizations, called for release of the full body-worn camera footage, an independent investigation, and stronger de-escalation training. ACA President Sunny Rickard said authorities had released only about 10 minutes of what was roughly a 45-minute encounter.7ABC 10News. One Year Since Woman Killed in Officer-Involved Shooting in Little Italy
The DA’s Decision
On May 25, 2023, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office announced it had cleared all four officers who fired of criminal liability.8ABC 10News. DA Clears SDPD Officer and Deputies in Little Italy Womans Shooting Death The DA’s office found the officers held a “reasonable belief that using deadly force was necessary to stop an imminent threat of death or serious injury.” The review acknowledged that it was “reasonable to conclude that Li was experiencing a mental health crisis,” but concluded her actions during the confrontation “constituted an imminent threat to the peace officers.”2NBC San Diego. San Diego DA Clears 3 Deputies, 1 Officer of Criminal Liability in Deadly Shooting of Woman in Little Italy Condo No internal disciplinary actions against the officers were publicly reported.
The Lawsuit and $125,000 Settlement
Li’s son, identified in court filings as D.S., filed a federal wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit in San Diego’s United States District Court in early 2023. The case, D.S. (Deceased: Yan Li) v. County of San Diego, et al., was assigned case number 23cv0459-AJB-BLM.9City of San Diego. Resolution R-315493 The defendants were the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego, and five individual officers: Sergeant Nickel, Deputies Javier Medina, Williams, and Bunch, and Officer Rogelio Medina.10KPBS. Son of Little Italy Woman Fatally Shot by Deputies, Police Sues San Diego City and County
The complaint included eleven claims, among them excessive force, unlawful detention, false arrest, inadequate training, and negligence.11San Diego Union-Tribune. Son of Scientist Fatally Shot by Law Enforcement During Confrontation in Little Italy Sues City, County The suit alleged that officers entered the unit “under false pretenses,” escalated a confrontation with a mentally ill person, failed to provide a verbal warning before using lethal force, and should have summoned mental health assistance instead of deploying force. It contended that after Li closed her door during the initial encounter, she “was not posing a threat to any person,” and that the decision to re-enter with tactical equipment was unjustified.
On April 22, 2024, the San Diego City Council approved a $125,000 settlement with Li’s son under Resolution R-315493. The resolution covered all claims against the city, its agents, and employees, and was paid from the city’s Public Liability Fund. It did not include an admission of fault.9City of San Diego. Resolution R-315493 The settlement resolved only the City of San Diego’s portion of the case. It did not address claims against the County of San Diego or the individual sheriff’s deputies.