SAN FRANCISCO—A man who was allegedly armed with a knife was shot and killed by San Francisco police on Monday, August 28, in the Tenderloin district. An investigation is underway.
At 10:22 p.m. officers arrived at the 300 block of Jones Street after receiving reports of someone armed with a knife who was allegedly threatening people.
Police officers engaged with the suspect and a shooting ensued. The suspect was struck by gunfire. A resident who lives nearby where the incident took place captured the encounter on his phone. In the video police are heard telling the suspect to put down his knife and to “sit down and talk to us.”
In a separate video, the suspect appeared confused and was holding a crate. Instead of obeying commands, he pulled out his knife in his right hand and started to walk away. As the suspect began walking away police officers began shooting multiple shots. The suspect fell to the ground and was writhing in the street.
Paramedics arrived on the scene to render aid, the suspect was placed onto a gurney and transported to a nearby hospital sustaining life-threatening injuries.
“Officers made consistent attempts to de-escalate the situation and try and engage the individual in order to try and broker a peaceful resolution. Unfortunately, that was unsuccessful. I don’t have the exact details of what the suspect did that precipitated the shooting, but at some point during the interaction, officers felt it was necessary to use deadly force,” said Sgt. Kathryn Winters at a press conference held on Tuesday, August 29.
Body camera footage will be released at a town hall meeting within 10 days.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, the San Francisco Police Department’s Investigative Services and Internal Affairs divisions, and the city’s Department of Police Accountability are investigating the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. Reporting citizens may remain anonymous.
