Nathan Brogan: guns seized from man accused of shooting San Diego.
The man charged with attempted murder in the shooting of San Diego public utility worker had a stockpile of weapons that included explosives and about 75,000 rounds of ammunition, the city attorney’s office said Friday.
A search warrant was served at 79-year-old Nathan Brogan’s University Heights home on September 7. Inside, San Diego police found an AR-15 with a 200-round drum magazine, and 34 other rifles and 21 handguns of various makes and calibers, the city attorney’s office said.
Explosives, including a smoke grenade and 4.5 pounds of loose black powder were also found.
Brogan pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, negligent discharge of a firearm and using a firearm in the commission of a felony — charges stemming from a shooting on September 3.
He is accused of shooting Lacarter Washington, a city of San Diego employee, in the shoulder as he was checking the water line on Brogan’s property, which is five blocks from an elementary school, the city noted.
Washington, who was wearing a city uniform, was at Brogan’s water meter when Brogan came outside.
Deputy District Attorney Matthew Greco said Washington identified himself to Brogan as a public utility worker and even showed him his badge.
The shot shattered Washingon’s humerus bone, destroyed an artery and the shrapnel wounded his chest, prosecutors said. Washington was expected to need multiple surgeries.
City Attorney Mara Elliott called the stockpile found in Brogan’s home a “deadly arsenal.”
“Our Police Department was rightly concerned that the suspect, if released on bail, would have immediate access to weapons concealed in his house,” Elliott said.
Brogan is being held at the Vista Detention Center on $1 million bail and he was ordered to stay away from the victim, his family, and his home if he posts bail. The judge also ordered him not to possess any guns if he makes bail.
To help keep Brogan from accessing any firearms, police issued a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) against him. The law, implemented after a deadly shooting near the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2014, allows law enforcement to take away a person’s legally-owned guns for up to a year if they’re deemed a serious threat to themselves or others.
“Responsible gun owners can have a number of guns and if they’re responsible then the City Attorney is not interested in them,” City Attorney Mara Elliott said. “What we’re concerned about is if the individual is showing signs of being irresponsible.”
A GVRO can be brought on by a family member or a member of a household, or by the police.
“You can never quantify the number of people you’ve kept safe, but we think we’ve done a really good job,” Elliott said.
Brogan is a U.S. Air Force veteran and was honorably discharged, his attorney said. He’s lived at the home where the shooting happened for more than 40 years.
