Ernie Buchanan, a 44-year-old security guard, was shot and killed outside the Alpha Project homeless shelter in East Village, San Diego on December 28, 2019. He had been working at the shelter since it opened in early November and his family said he was dedicated to helping others. He left behind six children and four grandchildren, and his brother noted Buchanan had spoken about being happy in his job the day before the shooting.

Surveillance and smart streetlight cameras recorded two men waiting for Buchanan to return from a meal break and then opening fire while he was unarmed and did not provoke them. Two men, Floyd Garrett and Johnny Lee Hill, were arrested and charged with second-degree murder; both were also charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm for injuring another security guard during the incident. Court evidence introduced DNA on spent cartridges and the surveillance footage, and the killing was described in court as carried out to benefit and promote a gang.