SLO police officer shot and killed man holding a fake gun

Author

Carly Heltzel
March 02, 2026

Good morning. It’s Monday, and I’m reading about the pervasive issue, or nonissue, of wild turkeys taking over the Bay Area. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

A SLO police officer shot and killed a man who was holding a replica gun on Saturday evening. The officer responded to a call that a man was “shouting aggressively and waving a firearm” a few streets south of the Vons grocery store. While confronting the “threat” the officer shot once and hit the man, who was later pronounced dead at the scene. The state Department of Justice is investigating, and SLOPD placed the officer on leave per its policy.

2.

Investors are buying up SLO County homes with more than 7,400 purchases in the county in 2025. SLO County is in the top third in California for investors buying up homes, ranking 16th overall. “Investor” could mean anything from a large brokerage company to a Cal Poly parent who rents out to students, so it’s not exactly a corporate takeover yet. As of last year, investors owned more than 17,300 homes in SLO County.

3.

The shooting range off Highway 1 is back open after a 14-month closure. The range closed after an audit found the previous managers had violated its terms of land use with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which owns the property. Now, a new nonprofit organization will operate the shooting range. One community member described it as a “very big relief” since the uncertainty of its ability to open again.

4.

One in three Californians opted into the lowest tier of health insurance for this year, compared to one in four last year. And 130,000 already insured people switched to a lower tier. Often, these "bronze-level” plans have enrollees pay up to 40% of their healthcare expenses, with high deductibles. But Californians remain insured for the most part, with the state’s enrollment rate only dropping 2.7% this year. People just have more affordable and worse quality plans.

5.

Before SeaWorld, there was an aquatic theme park that thrived for three decades in Rancho Palo Verdes, attracting over a million people per year, including celebrities like Elvis Presley. Marineland of the Pacific did everything first — and orcas performed daily for its main event. But when SeaWorld couldn’t get its orcas to stay alive in captivity, it bought Marineland under the guise of expanding, shipped the distressed orcas to San Diego and shut the park down the next month. “It felt like a murder,” a former Marineland director said of the abrupt closure.