SFPD Officer Involved Shooting at Mission Police Station

On January 4th, 2015 three San Francisco Police Mission station sergeants noticed a male suspect loitering in the restricted parking lot of Mission Police Station.

The sergeants approached the suspect and instructed the male suspect to leave the restricted parking lot. The suspect acknowledged and began to walk away towards the driveway of the police station. The sergeants walked to their vehicles and were prepared to leave when they noticed the suspect had failed to leave the parking lot, he was now was standing in the middle of the driveway staring at them and blocking their exit. The sergeants exited their vehicle and once again approached the suspect asking him to leave the restricted area.

The suspect began to back out of the parking lot, facing the sergeants with his hands in his front shirt pockets. The sergeants asked the suspect to show them his hands. Upon clearing the threshold of the parking lot, he lifted up his sweater and officers could see what appeared to be the butt of a handgun. Fearing for their safety and in the defense of their lives, the sergeants drew their service weapons as the suspect pulled the weapon from his waistband. Two sergeants discharged their firearms, striking the suspect three times. It was later discovered the weapon was an air (BB or pellet) pistol.

The suspect was taken to San Francisco General Hospital where he died of his injuries at approximately 7:53PM.

Earlier in the day, the same suspect had approached Mission Station officers on an unrelated call at 16th/Mission asking them what kind of guns SFPD carry, what kind of ammunition and if they’d had been involved in any officer involved shootings. The officers did not interact with the suspect as they were investigating the current call for service. The suspect lingered around the area and eventually left.

The sergeants were not injured in this incident, nor was any other party. The incident is being investigated by our Homicide Detail, Internal Affairs Division, District Attorney’s Office and Office of Citizen Complaints as standard protocol. The sergeants will be placed on standard paid administrative leave.

A town hall meeting discussing the officer involved shooting will be forthcoming in the next week.