San Francisco shooting by police kills 1

Katie Marzullo Image
ByKatie Marzullo KGO logo
Friday, December 4, 2015
Suspect killed in officer-involved shooting in SF's Bayview District
A suspect was fatally shot by San Francisco police in the Bayview District.

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco police officers shot and killed a man Wednesday afternoon in the Bayview District, and part of the shooting was captured on cellphone video.

Police say the man who officers shot and killed was wanted in a stabbing that happened nearby less than an hour before.

A witness posted video of the shooting on Instagram. In it, you can see suspect Mario Woods walking toward an officer. In the video, someone urges Woods to "just drop it," then seconds later a number of shots ring out.

The police chief says Woods had a 6-8 inch knife in his hand. He says five officers fired their weapons, killing him.

San Francisco Chief Greg Suhr told the media police "deployed standard bean bag gun several times striking the suspect. He did not drop the weapon. They called for a higher powered, less lethal -- that was deployed. It actually knocked the suspect to the ground. He did not drop the knife, he got up again."

The shooting happened around 4:30 p.m. It was just before 4 p.m. that police say a man who'd been stabbed in the shoulder walked into the police station. He described his attacker to police and officers tracked down that man.

"Still armed with what appears to be some sort of kitchen knife that they assume was the knife that he used in the stabbing," Suhr said.

The stabbing victim will survive.

"Hopefully it's justified, but until more information comes out, then that's where I'll place my judgment," neighbor Michael Ngo said.

That 14-second video shows one part of the story, but police are asking anyone else with video of the shooting to come forward.

The officer-involved shooting comes as the San Francisco Police Commission was considering policies Wednesday evening for body-worn cameras by the department's officers. The cameras, not yet worn by officers, are slated to be deployed in San Francisco sometime in 2016.

The mother of the stabbing suspect says her son was struggling to turn his life around.

Community activists gathered Thursday night to hold a vigil for Woods.

Residents of Bayview who say they have seen the videos that are on social media wonder why police used lethal force against Woods.

VIDEO: Suspect killed in officer-involved shooting in San Francisco's Bayview District

"He needed some help. He just needed some help," mom Gwen Woods said.

Gwen Woods grieved as she made arrangements for her son's funeral. She said he suffered from mental health issues but was starting to overcome them.

"He fought past them. He was supposed to start UPS today. He got his uniform," Gwen Woods said.

Officers shot and killed the 26-year-old in a barrage of gunfire at 3rd Street and Gillman.

Suhr says his officers tried everything before resorting to deadly force. Others disagree.

"As you can see, the young man wasn't lunging the knife at anyone. He was actually walking away and the officer got in his path and they opened fire," Shawn Richard from Brothers Against Guns said.

"They executed my child," Gwen Woods said.

Gwen Woods says police could have easily overpowered him.

"It was a better way of handling it than 25 bullets in my baby," she said.

VIDEO: Community leaders hold vigil in Bayview for man shot by SFPD

Bay City news contributed to this report.