San Diego — A San Diego police officer awaiting trial on drunken driving and hit-and-run charges was found dead Monday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Clairemont.The wife of Officer David C. Hall, 41, called authorities to their Ashford Street home at 9:52 a.m. reporting the suicide, San Diego police said.When officers arrived, they found Hall’s body next to a wall in the backyard of the house.Hall, a 14-year department veteran, pleaded not guilty in May to two charges of felony drunken driving causing injury, one charge of hit and run and an allegation that his blood-alcohol content was greater than 0.15 percent — a charge that would have increased prison time. If convicted of all of the charges, he faced a maximum sentence of three years and eight months.The charges stemmed from a Feb. 22 crash in Serra Mesa where a woman driving a gray Chevrolet Suburban reported that she was hit and injured by a drunken driver who left the scene.Hall, who was off duty at the time, was later arrested and placed on paid administrative duty.Police reports indicated that the officer’s blood-alcohol content was 0.32 percent, or four times the legal limit of 0.08.A judge had ordered Hall to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings twice a week, and he was scheduled to appear in Superior Court on Thursday for a pretrial hearing.Hall was one of at least eight police officers accused of misconduct since February.“The San Diego Police Department was very aware of the stress he was under and had taken every effort to get Officer Hall the help he needed,” Police Chief William Lansdowne said Monday. “In fact, our newly formed wellness unit had met with him just yesterday. Unfortunately, even with the help and support provided, Officer Hall unexpectedly decided to take his own life.”Eleven San Diego police officers have committed suicide since 1981, according to the department.Lansdowne said Hall’s family did not wish to make any statements at this time. The officer is survived by his wife and three children.Hall worked many assignments in the Police Department since being hired in 1997, including patrol in the central division and later on specialized narcotics and parolee apprehension teams. He was transferred to the traffic division in 2008, where he worked accident investigations, until becoming a motorcycle officer in March 2010.His attorney has said that before the DUI allegations, Hall had a clean record and had received commendations for his work.Several neighbors who gathered near the police tape at Hall’s home Monday expressed shock at the death. They remembered him as a friendly neighbor who often waved as he came and went on his police motorcycle.He and his family rented a home in a nearby cul-de-sac until a few years ago, when they purchased the home on Ashford.One neighbor reported hearing what sounded like a gunshot about 9:30 a.m.“He was a very pleasant guy,” said Charles Steinmetz, who lives a few houses down. “It’s sad to lose a friend and neighbor. Our prayers go out to the family.”The death occurred four days after the Police Department memorialized slain child abuse Detective Donna Williams, 52, and her daughter, Briana, 18. The mother and daughter were killed on July 18 at their Rancho Peñasquitos home, and Williams’ son, Brian, 24, has been charged with murder in the deaths.Officer Brian Marvel, president of the San Diego Police Officers Association, commented about Hall’s death on Twitter: “Unfortunately, another tragedy has befallen the SDPD. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. God Bless.”
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