by Laura DudnickSan Francisco police shot and fatally wounded a suspect who had entered a restricted area of the Mission Station and, after refusing to leave, drew what appeared to be a firearm Sunday evening, police officials said.
Three officers were leaving the station, located at 630 Valencia St., around 5:20 p.m. when they spotted the white male suspect inside a parking lot that is clearly marked for police only, Police Chief Greg Suhr said. The identity of the 32-year-old suspect has not been released pending notification of kin.
The officers told the suspect to leave and got in their patrol car, believing they had made their point to the suspect. But as the officers were leaving, the suspect remained in the driveway, arousing suspicion and prompting the officers to exit the car, said Suhr.
As the officers approached the suspect and began telling him again to leave, the suspect allegedly reached to his waistband and pulled what officers believed was a firearm, Suhr said.
"He went to his waistband where there was the butt of a gun and drew the weapon," the chief said.
Two sergeants fired in response, striking the suspect with gunfire three times, said Suhr. The suspect was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, Esparza said.
The suspect, who had only given officers his first name as of Sunday evening, had apparently approached officers on 16th Street earlier Sunday and "inquired as to what kind of weapons we carry, which the officers at the time found very curious," said Suhr.
Suhr noted that the weapon carried by the suspect appears to be an airsoft pellet or BB gun.
San Francisco resident Ben Marrone heard the gunshots while inside a T-Mobile store across the street from the police station and said the noise sounded like low rumblings.
"They were sort of low and soft and sounded from far away," Marrone said. "I walked outside and saw police just running around."
He continued south on Valencia Street toward the scene of the shooting and saw an officer standing over what appeared to be the suspect, lying next to the curb on the street.
"[He] was not moving," Marrone said of the person in the street. "I couldn't see any blood or anything; [he] seemed totally motionless."
Officers closed off Valencia Street between 17th and 19th streets near the station Sunday night, drawing curiosity from residents and onlookers.
Suhr acknowledged the concern for officers' safety nationwide following the execution-style deaths of two New York police officers last month and said the suspect Sunday appeared to have specifically confronted officers.
"It was definite that the confrontation was between he and the police," Suhr said of the suspect.