Officer-involved shooting in the Bayview

From SFGate,

San Francisco police officers shot and killed a man after a gunbattle and foot chase in the Bayview district late Saturday afternoon.

At 4:44 p.m., two uniformed officers were patrolling Third Street between Oakdale and Palou avenues as part of a recent violence-reduction effort in the area. They encountered the man as they were conducting a fare inspection on a Muni light-rail platform, police Sgt. Michael Andraychak said Saturday.

As the officers tried to detain the man, he took off running and drew a gun, police said. The two officers chased him on foot for about 1 1/2 blocks down Third Street, police said. When the suspect shot at the officers, they returned fire, fatally wounding him, Andraychak said. The man was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:01 p.m.

Police did not know how many shots were exchanged and would not say whether the suspect's gun had been retrieved, as the incident is still under investigation. Officers declined to release the suspect's name, saying only that he is believed to be between 19 and 21 years old.

Neither officer was injured.

Investigators were at the shooting scene into the evening, trying to piece together what happened. Some angry people at the site of the shooting complained that the officers had overreacted in the incident.

In accordance with the department's policy, the incident is being investigated by homicide investigators, the department's officer-involved shooting team, the district attorney's office and the Office of Citizen Complaints.

Read more at SFGate

Supervisor Malia Cohen issued the following statement tonight:

“My heart goes out to the family as they grieve the loss of their loved one. Today’s shooting is under ongoing Police investigation, and I urge anyone with any information to notify SFPD immediately. I intend to review the results of the internal investigation from the Police Department to ensure Department protocol was followed.” 

It's easy to prejudge the incident based on newspaper reports, but having read the Bayview SFPD newsletter often enough, the SFGate account sure sounds plausible.  Loss of life is always sad, but if the guy had a gun in his waistband, he was out there looking for trouble.  I'm just glad it wasn't an officer or innocent bystander (yes, selfishly, I'm glad it wasn't me at my regular Muni stop) who got shot.

This comes on the heels of another shooting just blocks away on Saturday.  From KTVU:

Four people were injured in a drive-by shooting Saturday afternoon in San Francisco's Bayview-Hunter's Point neighborhood, according to the Police Department.

The shooting was reported around 1:40 p.m. at Third Street and Kirkwood Avenue. Police said the victims' injuries are not life threatening. The victims are all males and at least two of them are juveniles, according to police. As of 2:40 p.m., police were still in the area and were searching for the suspects.

A compilation of articles at SFist:

A 19-year-old allegedly armed man was fatally shot in Bayview at about 4:40 p.m. this evening after he ran from police conducting a Muni fare inspection along the T-Third line on the platform at Third and Oakdale. The officers approached the victim when he got off the train without proof of payment, and the victim fled.

Police say the victim fired at them during the chase, prompting the officers to fire back several shots. The man was taken to San Francisco General Hospital where he later died.
No weapon has been recovered, but casings were found at the scene that reportedly didn't belong to the police.


The shooting prompted people in the area to gather and throw bottles at the cops. SWAT team members in riot gear were on the scene within minutes of the incident, and Third Street was blocked off from Palou to Newcomb avenues.

For video of the crowd reaction to police after the shooting, check out LiveLeak