A 19-year-old man was arrested for allegedly shooting another man in the back in San Francisco’s Hunters Point neighborhood on Sunday morning, a police spokesman said today.
A 19-year-old man was arrested for allegedly shooting another man in the back in San Francisco’s Hunters Point neighborhood on Sunday morning, a police spokesman said today.
Joshua Atoa was arrested in connection with the shooting, which occurred around 6 a.m. Sunday in the first block of Harbor Drive, police spokesman Sgt. Mike Andraychak said.
However, the shooting was not reported until more than three hours later when the 20-year-old victim’s bleeding became worse and authorities were called to the victim’s relative’s house, located near where the shooting had occurred, police said.
The victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital to be treated for his injuries, which are not considered life-threatening, Andraychak said.
The victim initially told officers he was shot by an unknown suspect, but later admitted to his family at the hospital that the shooting was in retaliation for an apparent slight made by the victim’s cousin toward a female neighbor. The family members then relayed that information to police.
On Sunday morning, the female neighbor lured the victim outside of the relative’s house where he was shot and allegedly told that his cousin would be the next shooting victim, according to police.
Officers responded to the neighbor’s house but could not find the female or suspected shooter. They next went to a home in the 1300 block of Revere Avenue believed to be the residence of the shooter, but did not find the pair there either, police said.
Investigators asked family members at both homes to encourage the pair to turn themselves in, and at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Atoa and the female, his 17-year-old girlfriend, came to the Bayview Police Station and surrendered to police.
Atoa was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and violation of his probation for robbery charges, Andraychak said.
The 17-year-old was interviewed and later released to her parents pending further investigation, police said.
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the Police Department’s anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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