Warning: This video contains strong language and shows the crime scene, which might be disturbing to some.
Previously:
Man Shot By SFPD During Muni Fare Inspection Declared Dead
SFPD: Handgun From Scene Of Fatal Muni Fare Inspection Shooting Recovered
Early Morning Demonstration At 16th And Mission In Reaction To SFPD Shooting
Activists Call For FBI Investigation After SFPD Shoots And Kills Man During Muni Fare Inspection
A man shot and killed by SFPD Saturday afternoon has been identified as 19-year old Kenneth Harding, a man who SFPD says was a parolee from Washington State being sought in a fatal shooting.
San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr told the Chron that Harding had recently been released from a Washington state prison after convictions in a a King County sex offense.
Harding was, the Chron reports, “a person of interest” in a Wednesday shooting that that killed the pregnant Tanaya Gilbert, 19, and wounded three others.
On Saturday, Harding was detained by patrol officers conducting a fare inspection at a Municipal Transportation Agency light rail stop at Third Street and Palou Avenue at about 4:45 p.m., police Sgt. Michael Andraychak said.
The officers were stationed in the area as part of an increased police presence to respond to recent shootings in the neighborhood, Andraychak said.
Harding ran from the officers and allegedly pulled out a handgun and shot at them as they chased him on foot, police said.
At least one of the officers returned fire and wounded the suspect.
He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:01 p.m., police said.
No officers or witnesses were injured in the shooting.
Amateur video footage of the exchange showed that a passerby picked up the suspect’s handgun in the aftermath of the shootout and took it from the area before investigators were able to establish a crime scene, police said.
With the help of witnesses, police were able to identify the individual who took the gun and retrieved it Sunday afternoon, Andraychak said.
The shooting has already triggered one impromptu demonstration, which took place shortly before 1 a.m. in the Mission District Sunday . An angry crowd gathered near 16th and Valencia streets for a walking demonstration.
“They’re rioting because people are pissed,” one woman told Bay City News.
Activists have expressed frustration with SFPD, calling for for the formation of a civilian review board and an FBI investigation of the shooting.
Groups including the Idriss Stelley Foundation, SF Education Not Incarceration and the SF Bayview National Black Newspaper will gather Monday to issue a call for change in response to the shooting, said Mesha Irizarry, executive director of the Idriss Stelly Foundation.
The groups also want to see District Attorney George Gascon removed from the investigation, saying he has a conflict of interest since he was once chief of police, said Irizarry, who is also a member of San Francisco’s marijuana oversight committee.
Supervisor Malia Cohen on Saturday issued a statement expressing sympathy for the family of the man killed and urging anyone with information to contact the police.
“I intend to review the results of the internal investigation from the police department to ensure department protocol was followed,” Cohen said.
Suhr tells the Ex that he is planning a public meeting in the neighborhood, likely this week, to discuss the incident.
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