Previously: One Victim Still In Critical Condition After SoMa Club Shooting
8:31 PM: Two people remain hospitalized, one with critical injuries, after a shooting in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood over the weekend that killed 26-year-old Blair Henderson.
Henderson, a San Francisco resident, was one of four people shot at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday in a Minna Street parking lot between First and Second streets.
That was around the time nearby nightclubs were letting out, but police have not yet determined whether the shooting was related to any club activity.
“There are clubs in that area, and some of these individuals were apparently patrons at some of these clubs,” homicide Inspector Antonio Casillas said this morning.
“We need people who were there, who know the people involved” to come forward, he said.
Witnesses at the scene (Fire department spokeswoman Lt. Mindy Talmadge said this evening that witnesses at the scene of the shooting, not victims, as previously reported, had said the shooting may have been preceded by a robbery attempt) reportedly said the shooting followed a robbery attempt, but police said they have not yet determined the motive.
Casillas said the shooting was preceded by an “altercation.”
“We have a wealth of information, but information in and of itself does not amount to evidence,” he said.
Police are also investigating whether the shooting was gang-related.
About half an hour after the shooting, officers from the Bayview Station detained several suspects in the area of West Point and Middle Point roads in the Bayview District. Those suspects were later released.
“They were detained, they were interviewed and they were released,” police Lt. Lyn Tomioka said.
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
Fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said that at the time of the shooting, firefighters were responding to an unrelated medical call about a block away and heard the gunfire. (She also said that when paramedics heard gunfire, they were responding to an unrelated medical call a block away, not attending to the victim of a robbery as previously reported; the gunfire was that of the fatal shooting.)
Police Officer Boaz Mariles said that as of this afternoon, two of the three people wounded in addition to Henderson were still hospitalized, one in grave condition. The third had been released.
He said club owners and promoters in the city need to take responsibility for their patrons, even after closing time.
“They need to disperse the crowds, they need to ensure the crowds aren’t loitering and creating a public nuisance to the surrounding communities,” he said. “It’s just good business, being a good neighbor and conducting good business. Because realistically, who’s going to come to an unsafe club?”
“The department looks forward to working with the club owners and promoters, in ways to ensure the safety of the club’s patrons, even after closing time,” Mariles said.
3:22 PM: Victims of a quadruple shooting that left one man dead early Sunday morning in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood told paramedics responding to the scene that someone had tried to rob them, a fire department spokeswoman said today.
Fire spokeswoman Lt. Mindy Talmadge also said paramedics heard shots fired as they helped a wounded person.
“There was an attempted robbery, and while we were attending to one of the victims, they heard more gunfire,” Talmadge said.
Talmadge said it is not known where the gunfire came from, and no other injuries were reported. She said it doesn’t appear the paramedics were the target.
“Our people were not being shot at,” she said.
The initial shooting, which happened at 2:30 a.m. in a Minna Street parking lot between First and Second streets, left 26-year-old Blair Henderson, of San Francisco, dead, and three others injured. One of the victims was released from the hospital Sunday.
Two people remained hospitalized today, one in critical condition.
Police are seeking witnesses to the shooting, which occurred in a busy nightclub district.
“There are clubs in that area, and some of these individuals were apparently patrons at some of these clubs,” homicide Inspector Antonio Casillas said.
“We need people who were there, who know the people involved” to come forward, he said.
No arrests have been made.
Casillas declined to comment on a possible motive for the shooting, which he said was preceded by an “altercation.”
“We have a wealth of information, but information in and of itself does not amount to evidence,” he said.
Police are also investigating whether the shooting was gang-related.
The incident is the latest in a recent wave of violence at or near San Francisco nightclubs. Some city leaders have criticized the city’s Entertainment Commission for not taking a more proactive role in enforcement.
Police spokesman Officer Boaz Mariles said today that club owners and promoters also have to take responsibility.
“We need the clubs to take more accountability for their patrons after closing,” Mariles said.
“They need to disperse the crowds, they need to ensure the crowds aren’t loitering and creating a public nuisance to the surrounding communities,” he said. “It’s just good business, being a good neighbor and conducting good business. Because realistically, who’s going to come to an unsafe club?”
“The department looks forward to working with the club owners and promoters, in ways to ensure the safety of the club’s patrons, even after closing time,” Mariles said.
