San Diego Harbor Police shot and killed a man who officials said assaulted officers who tried rescuing him afer he jumped from the Circuit Daze Harbor Cruise and into the San Diego Bay on Saturday night.

The San Diego Police Department’s homicide unit, along with the San Diego Harbor Police Department and the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, are investigating the shooting of Steven Paul Hirschfield, 37, an actor, bodybuilder and performer, who lived in West Hollywood and was hired as a go-go dancer aboard one of the official Pride party cruises.

“Two Harbor Police boats and a U.S. Coast Guard patrol vessel responded to a report of a man overboard in the bay shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday,” said Harbor Police Lt. John Forsythe. “The rescue vessel located the man in the bay about 500 feet south of the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station on North Harbor Drive. At first he refused to climb aboard the vessel but once he was aboard he began to attack officers.”

According to the police report Hirschfield took the officer’s taser and struck him violently in the face with it. He then tried to take the officer’s firearm. As Hirschfield struggled to get control of the gun, the second officer shot Hirschfield one time in the torso.

Paramedics met the Harbor Police boat at the Embarcadero and declared Hirschfield dead at the scene.

The injured officer was taken to Scripps Hospital and treated for injuries to the face.

Meanwhile, at the direction of officials, the 222-foot-long Hornblower vessel anchored where the chartered event continued – many passengers not knowing what had occurred.

“It was quite upsetting to learn about what really happened when I saw the news the next day,” said Geoff Thomas, a Normal Heights resident who was aboard the cruise. “There was rumor that someone had either jumped or fallen overboard but I think most people thought it was a joke until we docked and were told that police would be interviewing everyone before they exited the boat. Most people cooperated, but a few were angry.”

By continuing the event with revelers unaware of the shooting police were able to contain the scene according to protocol so the investigation could properly continue, officials said.

Circuit Daze promoter Bill Hardt declined to be interviewed, but released a statement extending condolences and cooperation with all law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.

“On behalf of and for all of attendee’s [sic] [Saturday] night, we are saddened by the evening’s turn of events,” Hardt wrote in a statement. “We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the friends and family of Steven Hirschfield.”

Hardt said at this time, there was no additional information to provide. He also extended his appreciation to everyone aboard the boat at the time of the incident who Hardt said were “gracious, patient, supportive and understanding as the events unfolded.”

Hirschfield’s friends and relatives, however, said that the description of what officials say happened does not fit the man they knew and loved.

“This was a person who breaks up fights, not one who starts them,” said Marilyn Walsh, a friend of Hirschfield’s from West Hollywood, who on Wednesday came to San Diego with Hirschfield’s parents and sister looking for answers.

“[Hirschfield] was a gentle and loving person who took care of himself and worked out everyday. There are too many inconsistencies in the story,” Walsh said.

But witnesses said there was something wrong with the situation from the get go.

Crewmembers of the chartered party boat said they had also attempted to rescue Hirschfield who refused to climb aboard or grab flotation devices, according to Jim Unger, general manager for Hornblower Cruises.

“It was clear that there was something wrong with the situation and he’d obviously wanted to go overboard because he didn’t want to be helped,” Unger said. “Logically if it was accidental he’d want out of the water.”

Police agreed.

Forsythe said it was not unusual for Harbor Police to rescue people who fall overboard from party boats during the summer, but such incidents usually end with the revelers being taken to get detox treatments.

According to court records, Hirschfield was arrested in 2004 for possession of a controlled substance. However charges were dropped in 2006 after he agreed to an 18-month drug rehabilitation program.

Hirschfield’s family has hired legal counsel to conduct their own investigation. They are placing flyers around the Hillcrest area asking anyone who witnessed or knows anything about the shooting to contact them.

Toxicology reports will be completed in about a month, according to the San Diego County medical examiner’s office.

The names of the officers involved in the shooting have not been released, but officials said both have been put on leave pending the investigation.