Officials ID man shot, killed by police inside SFO terminal

ByMelanie Woodrow, Bay City News
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Suspect shot, killed by police at SFO had replica guns, officials say
Suspect shot, killed by police at SFO had replica guns, officials sayThe man San Francisco police shot and killed at San Francisco International Airport was not armed with real guns, according to authorities.

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- The San Mateo County Coroner's Office has identified a man killed by San Francisco police last week at San Francisco International Airport as Nelson Szeto.

Szeto, a 37-year-old transient, died on Thursday after a confrontation with police officers near the SFO BART station entrance at the airport's International Terminal.

RELATED: Suspect shot, killed by police inside SFO terminal had replica guns, authorities say

The shooting unfolded after police received multiple calls regarding a suspicious person armed near the airport's International Terminal.

Once at the scene, officers tried to contact Szeto and used non-lethal methods to try to subdue him.

However, Szeto allegedly advanced toward officers, resulting in the shooting by police. Szeto was pronounced dead at the scene.

The ABC7 News I-TEAM exclusively learned that the man was not armed with real guns. The San Mateo County district attorney explains they were airsoft replica guns.

RELATED: San Pablo officers shoot and kill man holding airsoft gun in Richmond, police say

A bystander at the scene suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The shooting is being investigated by several different agencies, including the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, the San Francisco Police Department's Internal Affairs Division, the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability, and the San Mateo County Coroner's Office.

In addition, the California Department of Justice will conduct an investigation and independent review of the shooting.

San Francisco police are expected to hold a town hall meeting in the coming days to release more details about the shooting.

ABC7 News contributed to this report.

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