9/8 10:52 AM: A San Francisco man who was shot and killed by police after he allegedly came at them with a meat cleaver early Saturday morning was identified by the medical examiner’s office today as 37-year-old Xiyu Li.
Officers were dispatched to a home in the first block of Raymond Avenue, near Bayshore Boulevard, in the city’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood shortly before 4:30 a.m. after a 911 caller reported Li was threatening tenants and that one man had been stabbed.
Responding officers found Li standing at the top of a stairwell holding a solid metal meat cleaver, police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said.
The officers ordered him in both English and Cantonese to drop the cleaver, but he refused and told the officers they would have to shoot him, Tomioka said.
The officers tried for more than half an hour to convince Li to put down the cleaver, police said. When he continued to refuse, the officers employed less-lethal weapons to try to subdue Li “with no effect,” Tomioka said.
Police fired a single round at Li after he failed to drop the cleaver and advanced on officers in a threatening manner, police said.
Li was struck by the bullet and was transported to San Francisco General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:48 a.m.
The stabbing victim, a man who also lived at the home, was treated at the hospital for injuries to his ankle and arm.
Li’s family told police he had a history of mental health issues and had moved to the U.S. from China a few years ago. Police said Li was unemployed.
9/5 7:14 PM: A San Francisco police officer fatally shot a man with mental health issues armed with a meat cleaver in the city’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood this morning, a police sergeant said.
Officers received a call at 4:24 a.m. from a resident in the area of Bayshore Boulevard and Raymond Avenue, who said an Asian man was threatening other tenants with a knife and that one person had been stabbed, San Francisco police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said.
Responding officers found the suspect standing at the top of a stairwell holding a solid metal meat cleaver amid a cluttered home, according to Tomioka.
The officers ordered him in both English and Cantonese to drop the cleaver, but he refused and told the officers they would have to shoot him, Tomioka said.
The officers tried for more than half an hour to convince the suspect to put down the cleaver, and when he continued to refuse, the officers employed extended range impact weapons at the suspect “with no effect,” and then entered the building through the rear of the property, she said.
At that point, the officers were still talking with the suspect, but he repeatedly refused to listen to the officers’ orders, Tomioka said.
Then, the suspect allegedly charged at the officers with the meat cleaver and one officer fired a single round at the suspect, striking him, Tomioka said.
“He went toward the officers in a manner that the officers believed their lives were in immediate danger,” she said.
The suspect was transported to San Francisco General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 5:48 a.m., she said. His identity is not being released pending notification of next of kin.
The officers had requested hostage negotiators for assistance, but they did not arrive before the shooting, Tomioka said.
At a news conference at the Police Department today, police Inspector Antonio Casillas said the suspect’s sister told them that her brother had a history of mental health issues, Tomioka said. She said her brother had been in the U.S. for only a few years and had struggled with mental health disorders when he lived in China.
Casillas said the suspect was currently unemployed.
The stabbing victim sustained a left ankle injury and a cut to his upper right arm, Tomioka said. He was transported to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life threatening.
The stabbing victim and landlord who had called police, both adult males, lived with the suspect, Tomioka said. They were not related to the suspect.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, the Police Department’s first fatal officer-involved shooting this year.
“We will investigate fully and determine what was going on prior to arrival,” Tomioka said.
Police Chief George Gascon will provide further details on the incident at a community meeting on Sept. 9 at the Visitacion Valley Community Center.
9/5 9:05 AM: A San Francisco police officer fatally shot a suspect armed with a knife in the city’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood this morning, a police sergeant said.
Officers received a call at 4:24 a.m. from a resident in the area of Bayshore Boulevard and Raymond Avenue, who said a person was threatening other tenants with a knife, San Francisco police Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said.
Responding officers found the suspect standing at the top of a stairwell with a knife to his own throat, according to Tomioka.
The officers told him to put the knife down, but he refused and told the officers they would have to shoot him, Tomioka said.
The officers employed extended range impact weapons at the suspect “with no effect,” and then entered the building through the rear of the property, she said.
At that point, the officers were still talking with the suspect, but he repeatedly refused to listen to the officers’ orders, Tomioka said.
Then, the suspect made a move toward the officers, and one officer fired a single round at the suspect, striking him, Tomioka said.
“He went toward the officers in a manner that the officers believed their lives were in immediate danger,” she said.
The suspect was transported to San Francisco General Hospital where he was pronounced dead, she said.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, the Police Department’s first fatal officer-involved shooting this year.
“We will investigate fully and determine what was going on prior to arrival,” Tomioka said.
