SAN FRANCISCO — On December 2, 2015 at approximately 3:49 PM, San Francisco Police were notified that a stabbing victim had been dropped off at San Francisco General Hospital. The victim, suffering from a stab wound to the shoulder, told a San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Deputy that he had been stabbed on the 6600 block of Third Street. The Deputy provided officers with a preliminary description of the stabbing suspect.
Officers from Bayview Station responded to the 6600 block of Third Street to search for the suspect and a crime scene. Upon arriving on Third Street, officers were flagged down by a witness to the stabbing who provided further description of the suspect. Officers set up a perimeter and searched for the suspect, but were unable to locate him.
At approximately 4:34 PM, an officer spotted the suspect who matched the description given by the witness. The suspect was armed with a knife, believed to be the weapon used in the stabbing. Several officers responded as back up. They contacted the suspect and ordered him to drop the knife numerous times. The suspect would not comply with the officers’ commands.
As the situation was developing, a supervisor from Bayview Station gave instructions via police radio that, if possible, officers should attempt to create time and distance from the suspect. As the suspect had already demonstrated that he was a danger to others by having stabbed an earlier victim, the officers could not allow him room to harm anyone else.
Officers deployed the Extended Range Impact Weapon (ERIW) (“Bean Bag” Gun) which is a less than lethal force option. After numerous verbal commands ordering the suspect to drop the knife, an officer fired less lethal (“bean bag”) rounds which hit the suspect. The less than lethal rounds had no apparent effect on the suspect.
An officer utilized pepper spray which also had no apparent effect on the suspect. Officers also utilized a higher-powered ERIW several times, which struck the suspect and caused him to drop to one knee, but did not cause him to drop the knife. The suspect stood back up, still holding the knife and attempted to walk northbound on Keith Street towards Fitzgerald.
One of the officers moved to a position on the sidewalk in an effort to prevent the suspect from fleeing. Still armed with the knife, the suspect moved towards that officer. At this point, fearing serious injury or death, officers fired their department issued handguns at the suspect. The suspect was struck by the gunfire and fell to the ground. The officers rendered aid, performing CPR until paramedics arrived. Once on scene, the paramedics pronounced the suspect deceased.
Witness video posted online to Instagram appears to show the moments before the fatal shooting when several police officers surrounded the distressed man on a Third Street sidewalk near Gilman Avenue around 4:35 p.m.
San Francisco Police have since viewed what appears to be cell phone video depicting a portion of the officers’ contact with the suspect.
Investigators will continue to canvas the area for more video and encourage anyone who captured video of the incident to contact SFPD Homicide Investigators at (415) 553-1145.
