SFPD: Video evidence shows Woods made threatening move
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- This week's deadly police shooting in the Bayview District put San Francisco police on the hot seat at a town hall meeting. The suspect had a six-inch knife and a dozen or so officers had guns. The question many are asking is did the police have to shoot him?
On Wednesday, multiple officers opened fire on Mario Keith Woods. Protesters say deadly force was not necessary.
A town hall meeting took place Friday night with San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr so the community could discuss the use of lethal force used on Woods. It took place on the City College campus in the Bayview.
Reliable sources tell ABC7 News, that police have been pouring through all of the videos frame by frame, very carefully, to see if Mario Woods had done enough to warrant lethal force. Police believe they have found something.
Shooting witness Christian Hernandez says, "I still can't believe what I saw because obviously, it was a death right?"
Here is Hernandez's full video of the San Francisco police shooting of Mario Woods that happened on Dec. 2, 2015. Warning: This video contains graphic content and strong language
He shot video of the fatal shooting as he was waiting for a bus, standing across the street from where it happened. His video shows officers surrounding the 26-year-old stabbing suspect on the 6600 block of Third Street Wednesday afternoon.
He recorded Woods' final moments. Officers were yelling "Drop the knife!" numerous times. He appeared to ignore their commands. In the video, it shows an officer firing a bean bag gun. Then, seconds later, a barrage of shots and Woods falls to the ground.
Hernandez says he didn't see Woods moving threateningly toward the officers when he was shot. He recalls, "I didn't see him move rapidly. I just saw him turn and slowly walking away."
But according to sources, police have carefully analyzed at least two videos. One video was shot from a closer range and it's the video that police believe is revealing.
VIDEO: Suspect killed in officer-involved shooting in San Francisco's Bayview District
The source says freezing four frames of the video appears to show that Woods may have raised his right arm with the knife before he was shot. And that the officer closest to him stepped back first and to his side before he fired. The source also said Suhr would show the video with the freeze frames at the town hall meeting, to support his position that his officers used lethal force once they felt their lives were threatened.
VIDEO: Community shouts down SFPD chief at Bayview town hall
At the meeting community members demanded answers and had angry outbursts towards Suhr.
One woman stood up and shouted, "But I'm saying that you need to be taken out of office!"
There were cheers from the crowd when that woman demanded Suhr be fired. Emotions spilled over at the town hall meeting.
One man shouted, "Ain't no serve and protect! It's harass and kill. This is murder!"
Suhr tried to explain to the crowd the chain of events leading up to the shooting, but he was shouted down.
"When Mr. Woods advanced towards him, he feared he would go by him, he fired in defense of himself and the people... This is what I have."
Another man stood up and said, "There's no reason to shoot somebody 16 times... and he ain't got nothing but a knife. Shoot him in the leg!"
Suhr says he understands why the community is angry. He said, "Maybe we need other tools in our toolbox that are short of deadly force. We need to look at all of this because this... this... I don't ever want this to happen again."
Mario Woods' mother said her son suffered from mental health issues and was trying to overcome them. You can see more of her interview with ABC7 News reporter Vic Lee at the link or video below.
EXCLUSIVE: Mother says San Francisco police 'executed' her son
