Nine people were shot dead in San Francisco’s Mission District on Friday night, police said.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, officers responded before 9:07 p.m. on 24th Street and Treat Avenue.
“As of this writing, it appears to be a targeted and isolated incident,” police said in a tweet. “There is currently no known risk to the public.”
“I could see a victim,” said a witness who lives at the intersection, who asked not to be named. “I heard the shooting loud and clear but did not see it with my own eyes. The corner I live in is now taped up with yellow tape, cops are taking notes looking for spent shots I think.” [A victim] was cared for by three people until the emergency arrived. It looked very serious.”
When officers arrived at the scene, they found nine victims with gunshot wounds. Police called paramedics to the scene of the accident, who transported the victims to local hospitals.
The condition of the victims was unknown. The police asked the population to avoid the area.
Dying Breed, a clothing store on the corner where the shooting occurred, threw a five-year anniversary block party on Friday night, according to posts on the store’s Instagram account. Store employees declined to comment when reached by phone.
According to a witness who filmed the incident and posted footage to Twitter, a self-driving Cruise car blocked emergency medicine access to the crime scene. In the video, a police officer could be seen and heard yelling for the robotic taxi to drive away as it was blocking access to the emergency room and fire department. The cruise car was about a block from the crime scene at the time the video was captured.
“Suddenly, cops, fire engines, and ambulances were moving down Folsom toward 24th,” said Paul Valdez, who recorded the incident. “The cruise car just pulled up on Folsom. An officer got out of his car, banged on the window and shouted for the car to pull off the road and get out of the way.”
San Francisco Transportation Superintendent Jeffrey Tumlin and other city officials have publicly criticized self-driving cars as unsafe. The California Public Utilities Commission appears close to approving nearly unlimited deployment of Cruise and Waymo robotic taxis in San Francisco as early as June.
Cruise was contacted for comment but did not respond at the time of publication.
All information is provisional. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411.
This is an evolving story.
