Update on Officer Involved Shooting on Market St and 8th St.
Preliminary investigation into the officer involved shooting that took place today at approximately 12:05PM on the unit block of 8th street indicates:
A worker from a construction site on the unit block of 8th Street saw a man throwing glass bottles. The construction worker approached the man and asked him to stop throwing bottles as he was concerned that the broken glass would damage the tires of construction vehicles. The man became hostile towards the worker and challenged him to call the police. As this took place, the construction worker saw a marked San Francisco Police vehicle travelling southbound on 8th Street. He waved down the officers and told them what had just occurred.
The two uniformed officers, both veteran sergeants assigned to Tenderloin Station, attempted to take the suspect into custody. As the first sergeant went to handcuff the suspect, the suspect violently resisted and took the sergeant to the ground. The sergeant, with the suspect on top of him, could feel the suspect attempting to take his gun. As the other sergeant was attempting to pull the suspect off his partner, he heard his partner calling out, “He’s getting my gun.” Then, as the supine sergeant was looking down the barrel of his own gun, he called out, “He’s got my gun – shoot him!” Hearing this, the other sergeant, fearing his partner’s life was in danger, drew and discharged his Department issued handgun, striking the suspect. The suspect fell to the ground along with the supine sergeant’s Department issued handgun, which the suspect had been holding.
The Sergeants radioed for assistance and called for an ambulance to treat the suspect. They started first aid on the suspect as they waited for the arrival of paramedics. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene by San Francisco Fire Department Paramedics.
The two Sergeants each sustained injuries during the physical confrontation with the suspect and were transported to local hospitals for treatment of injuries. Both sergeants are in stable condition.
A Town Hall Meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, October 19th and additional information on this meeting will be forthcoming.
The public is reminded that this matter is an active and ongoing investigation still in its early stages. Officer involved shootings are investigated by the SFPD Internal Affairs Unit and the SFPD Homicide Detail. The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and the Office of Citizens’ Complaints also conduct parallel investigations. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the SFPD Homicide Detail at (415) 553-1145, the Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD so your tip gets routed to the San Francisco Police Department.