SAN FRANCISCO—Following the latest San Francisco Police Department officer-involved shooting on Thursday, May 19, Mayor Edward Lee has asked Chief Greg Suhr to resign from his position, according to a press release the Mayor’s Office sent to the San Francisco News. Chief Suhr complied and resigned on May 19.
Around 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, two uniformed officers in a marked SFPD patrol car conducted a stolen vehicle recovery operation in the Bayview District, according to a press release from the SFPD. During the operation the officers found a stolen Sedan that was parked and occupied by a young woman of color.
As the officers tried to contact the suspect, the suspect fled in the vehicle. While fleeing, the suspect struck a parked truck near the dead-end of Elmira Street. The suspect moved the vehicle in a frontward and backwards direction as the officers tried to take her into custody.
One officer fired one shot and then the officers rendered aid, performed CPR and summoned an ambulance. The San Francisco Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene and transported the suspect to the hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.
This is the latest incident in the past several weeks of fatal shootings involving San Francisco Police Department officers. An officer involved shooting of a homeless man occured in April, Mario Woods was fatally shot in December, and the recent racist and homophobic text message scandal within the SFPD, led to Mayor Lee asking Chief Suhr to resign.
“The progress we’ve made has been meaningful, but it hasn’t been fast enough. Not for me, not for Greg,” said Mayor Lee. “That’s why I have asked Chief Suhr for his resignation. And in the best interest of the City he loves so much, he tendered his resignation earlier today. Despite the political rhetoric of the past few weeks, I have nothing but profound admiration for Greg. He’s a true public servant, and he will always have my respect.”
Mayor Lee has named Toney Chaplin as Acting Chief of Police. Chaplin has been with the Police Department for 26 years and has an established track record of commitment to the city’s diverse communities. He has served at both the Mission and Taraval Stations, served in the Gang Task Force, run the Homicide Division, and has recently helped establish the new Professional Standards and Principled Policing Bureau that focuses on accountability and transparency.
“The men and women of the San Francisco Police Department put themselves in harms’ way daily, literally. We owe it to them to restore the community’s trust in their department. As we embark on a new chapter for the Police, we aim to restore this trust,” said Mayor Lee. “I will hold the Acting Chief and the Department to a high standard of urgency to implement the reforms we’ve already announced in the past several months.”
The current officer-involved shooting is being investigated by the SFPD Homicide Division, SFPD Internal Affairs Division, San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Office of Citizen Complaints. The officers involved are currently on administrative leave as the investigation continues.
Anyone with information on the Bayview District incident can call the SFPD Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text-A-Tip to 411 with “SFPD” at the beginning of the message.
