EL CAJON —— Sheriff Bill Kolender spoke for the first time Tuesday about a string of deadly deputy-involved shootings in Vista, saying there may be a need for more deputies in North County because of increased violence and gang activity.

Those factors were involved in the three fatal shootings, but Kolender did not specifically address why the shootings —— three in less than a week ——- might be happening or what he is going to do about it.

Answering questions at a press conference, Kolender said he is monitoring the findings of the shooting investigations. Out of eight deputy-involved shootings this year throughout the county, five of the six fatal shootings have been in Vista.

Paul Levikow, spokesman for the San Diego County district attorney's office, said his office will review each of the shootings to determine if they were justified, as it always does.

Meanwhile Tuesday, the identity of the young Latino man killed Thursday night has not been confirmed, said sheriff's homicide Lt. Tom Bennett. He said the man was fatally shot after talking bizarrely to his roommates, grabbing one of them, then hurling a 10-pound dumbbell at deputies.

He said the deputy who was hit while backing out of the room used pepper spray first. The man was shot when that didn't stop him, Bennett said.

Jorge Ramirez, 26, a convicted vehicle burglar, was on parole, under a court-ordered gang injunction and an armed robbery suspect when he was fatally shot Friday night while reaching into his clothing for what could have been a gun, authorities said.

The Sheriff's Department said Ramirez had a knife in his clothing, but no gun.

"George has a big, loving extended family, and has proven to be a strong hardworking man," said Amanda Tongate, Ramirez's fiancee. "He was only trying to better himself, but never got the chance because his life was ended."

Homicide Capt. Clay Reynard said deputies wanted to talk to Jesus Eduardo Manzo, the 23-year-old man fatally shot Monday, because he matched the description of someone wanted in a stolen vehicle investigation.

The deputies also wanted to determine if Manzo, convicted of car burglary, was a documented gang member subject to the gang injunction, Reynard said. His family said Manzo was not a gang member and not subject to the injunction.

Manzo ran away when the deputies tried to contact him in the 800 block of Newport Drive, Reynard said. The deputies chased Manzo until they lost sight of him briefly.

Found after a short search, he refused to stop for deputies or a K-9 dog that caught his foot as he tried to climb a fence, Reynard said.

Authorities said a deputy who confronted Manzo saw him reach for something on his hip that might be a gun fired a single shot that killed Manzo. Manzo had a multipurpose utililty knife, but no gun, Reynard said.

Manzo's family issued a statement Tuesday through an attorney that said they were heartbroken at his loss, thankful for those who had offered support and prayers, and planning to cooperate with all investigations into the shooting.

"The big question the family has is why there are three (fatal shootings) of young Latino men before the Sheriff's Department comes out and addresses it," said the attorney, Daniel Hitzke.

Asked about that Tuesday, Kolender said the fact that all three men killed were Latinos was a matter of the demography of the area. More than 39 percent of Vista's 95,500 population is Latino.

Earlier this year, Jose Antonio Mendoza, 24, was fatally wounded March 7 when his car crashed into the side of the Vista jail and he ran inside and assaulted a lieutenant and a sergeant, authorities said.

They said Roman Torres, also 24, was fatally shot May 15 after he allegedly threatened to kill a neighbor and fired two gunshots.

"I think it's important that we recognize that these are individual incidents with different deputies in each one, also different facts and points of judgment," Capt. Rob Ahern, commander of the Vista Sheriff's Station, said Tuesday in an interview about the most recent deaths. "These are all tragic incidents that need to be looked at individually."

The deaths are devastating to the deputies who fired the shots, as well as each man's family, friends and the general public, he said.

Deputies are trained to shoot for the biggest part of the body, the torso, to raise the chance of hitting the person and stopping him or her and to reduce the number of missed shots under the stress of a fast-paced scene, sheriff's officials said.

"We shoot to stop their activity," Bennett said. "We don't shoot to kill. We shoot until their behavior stops."

He said he didn't know yet what kind of nonlethal weapons the deputies had with them at the shootings. Other investigations that are always conducted in officer-involved shootings will determine that, Bennett said.

"One common element in almost all officer-involved shootings is the officer feels their life is in jeopardy," said the lieutenant. "Most of the time they shoot to protect themselves."

Contact staff writer Jo Moreland at (760) 740-3524 or jmoreland@nctimes.com; staff writer Yvette Urrea at (760) 901-4076 or yurrea@nctimes.com. Staff writers Teri Figueroa and Anne Riley-Katz contributed to this report.

Shooting law, policies:

Under state law, any peace officer who reasonably believes a person has committed a public offense may use reasonable force to make the arrest, prevent escape or overcome resistance.

The law, Penal Code 835a, also says the officer doesn't have to retreat or stop because the person resists or threatens to resist arrest, and the officer doesn't lose his right to defend himself "by the use of reasonable force."

Under San Diego County Sheriff's Department policy, a deputy can shoot when he or she believes the deputy or someone else is threatened with severe injury or death.

Sheriff's deputies are trained to shoot at the body to stop any threatening action immediately, not to kill.

So far this year, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department has had eight deputy-involved shootings, six of them fatal:

Vista —— 5 fatal

Lakeside —— 1 fatal

San Marcos —- 1 nonfatal

Escondido —— 1 nonfatal

In 2004 there were six total shootings, two fatal:

Vista —— 1 fatal, 1 nonfatal

Escondido —- 1 fatal, 1 nonfatal

Fallbrook —— 1 nonfatal

El Cajon —— 1 nonfatal

In 2003, there were eight total shootings, three fatal:

Vista —— 2 fatal, 2 nonfatal

Encinitas —— 1 fatal

Valley Center —— 1 nonfatal

Lakeside —— 1 nonfatal

Spring Valley —— 1 nonfatal