A harbor cruise scheduled to coincide with San Diego Gay Pride turned deadly over the weekend when a go-go boy fell overboard from the boat and was later fatally shot by police during an attempted rescue.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, 37-year-old Steven Hirschfield was pronounced dead at the dock of the San Diego Bay Saturday night after he fought with harbor police attempting to rescue him from the water.
According to patrons on the boat, Hirschfield was one of the entertainers on board the 222-foot Inspiration, operated by Hornblower Cruises. The boat, chartered by party promoters as one of the gay pride parties, had some 800 patrons packed on board.
According to the Tribune, Harbor Police were called at just after 11 pm Saturday night with report of a man overboard. When Hornblower launched a small rescue boat, Hirschfield refused their attempts to get him on board, Hornblower general manager Jim Unger told the paper.
“He refused,” Unger said. “He didn't want anybody near him.”
According to reports, rescue workers from Hornblower threw Hirschfield a flotation device and stayed near him until Harbor Police arrived.
When Harbor Police finally got Hirschfield on board their boat, he began to fight with police, grabbing an officer's taser gun and beating him in the face with it, according to the police report. He then reached for the officer’s gun and the second officer shot him once.
The cruise, a staple of San Diego Pride every year, is put on by party promoter Bill Hardt. According to reports, the boat docked and the party continued. Partygoers were asked to leave their name as they disembarked if they knew anything more about the incident.
The officer was treated for injuries to his face and leg and was released Sunday evening.
