SF police to address public after officer invovled shooting
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Police have scheduled a town hall meeting Monday to talk about Thursday night's officer-involved shooting in San Francisco.
The chief says it appears to be justified, but many are questioning why police shot a man armed only with a knife.
The confrontation happened at 24th and Folsom Streets in the heart of the Mission District.
David Miller's window faces the street where the man with the knife was shot and killed by plainclothes officers.
"I saw a body over here on the street, a person being detained by the police next to the tree," he told ABC7 News.
The 9-1-1 call came around 9:45 p.m. on Thursday.
Police say the suspect, armed with a long kitchen knife, was threatening a man. He later told police the suspect was trying to steal his bicycle.
Coincidentally, two plainclothes officers were driving by at the time. Police say they shot the suspect after he advanced toward them, refusing orders to drop his knife.
SFPD Chief Greg Suhr says, "In interviewing the victim, he told the captain that the knife was this big. He thanked the captain saying, 'You guys saved my life.'"
The shooting was big news in this busy mission district neighborhood.
"I don't think they should be killing anybody, but I also don't think people should be stealing people's bikes with knives," said resident Andy Sweet.
"In general, the cops in the neighborhood are pretty on top of their game," said Katelyn Sullivan, also a nearby resident.
Still, some in the neighborhood questioned the fatal shooting.
There was a talk that police had stopped and questioned the alleged bike thief a couple of blocks away earlier in the night.
"Fifteen minutes after he was detained, plainclothes officers came by and shot and killed him. And he had a knife, but that was no reason to shoot him," said David Santos, a Revolution Club member.
Police say officers can use lethal force against someone armed with any weapon if they believe their lives or anyone else's are in imminent danger.
