Family members said their younger brother was shot and killed by San Diego police on Friday, condemning his killing as unjust and disputing authorities’ assertion that he was armed. Police shot the man, who had been holed up inside a car during a 40-minute standoff with police in the Stockton neig hborhood, because they believed he had pointed a gun at them. Authorities initially claimed they found a black handgun in the car, but later investigators said they learned it was actually a BB gun. Two siblings have identified their younger brother, Kevin Garcia, as the one shot and killed by police. Kevin was 19 years old, said his 23-year-old sister Yazmyn Garcia and 24-year-old brother Miguel Garcia. Authorities have described the person who was shot as a man in his 20’s. Through a translator on Sunday, Yazmyn said she spoke with the woman who was in the car with Kevin, and she told Yazmyn that he did not have any gun in the car. Yazmyn said she hasn’t been told where Kevin’s body is, nor has she been contacted by authorities. All she wants to know, she said, is where her brother is so she can see him. The family wishes to take his body back to his home country of Mexico to be buried, Yazmyn added. Sheriff’s deputies, who are investigating the shooting as per county protocol, said Sunday morning they are still not releasing the name of the man who died because his loved ones have not yet been notified. As of 6 p.m., they had not responded to inquiries about investigation updates or the Garcia family’s statements. The Friday incident began around 10 a.m. when a pedestrian flagged down a San Diego police sergeant, saying they had seen a man pointing a black handgun at another person near the intersection of K and 31st streets, said Sheriff’s Lt. Juan Márquez. Police found a man matching the description of the possible gunman sitting in a car parked on the street, next to the Bethel AME Church, with a woman in the passenger seat, according to deputies. Police began negotiating with them and asked them to exit the car, authorities said; the woman got out but the man refused. Police called in SWAT team members, then later fired pepper balls into car’s open window, and the man still refused to exit, authorities said. Police alleged they saw the man point what looked like a handgun out of the car window, and police fired multiple rounds into the car, hitting the man. He was taken to a hospital, where he died. Yazmyn described Kevin as a loving and caring person with his family and friends, “a person with a beautiful heart.” She added in a social media post that her brother struggled with psychological issues including depression and drug use, and police should have treated him differently. About three dozen people gathered next to the Bethel AME Church on Sunday afternoon to protest the shooting. Attendees laid out candles, balloons, flowers, baseball caps, bottles, a skateboard and a pair of red, blue and silver Nikes, next to a sign that said, “We love you Smiley, gone but never forgotten.” Protesters held signs saying “Justicia,” “Am I next?” and “No al racismo.” In the background, Yazmyn cried in Miguel’s arms. ...read more read less