A man in his 20s was fatally shot by a San Francisco police sergeant in the city's Mid-Market neighborhood Thursday afternoon after the man allegedly took another sergeant's firearm, SFPD Chief Greg Suhr said.
The shooting was reported at 12:06 p.m. near the intersection of Eighth and Market streets, about a block from United Nations Plaza.
Suhr said two senior police sergeants were hailed down in response to a man throwing glass bottles onto the street. One of the sergeants approached the man and a violent struggle ensued, Suhr said.
The sergeant got on top of the suspect and then yelled to his partner, He's getting my gun. He's got my gun. Shoot him," Suhr said. His partner then fired two shots, striking the suspect. The other sergeant's gun came to rest on the sidewalk, according to Suhr.
The suspect, described as a man in his late 20s, died at the scene, Suhr said. The NBC Bay Area chopper flew over the scene and spotted a body under a tarp on the sidewalk.
Suhr said the sergeants were transported to a hospital and are both in stable condition. One suffered injuries to his face and knee, while the other sergeant suffered only facial injuries.
A van from the San Francisco medical examiner's office responded to the intersection at about 1 p.m. The medical examiner's office has not yet released the name of the man.
Local
Coleogne Johnson, 47, of Pinole, said he was outside the Orpheum Theatre eating his lunch when he heard two pops and then saw a swarm of officers arrive at the intersection of Eighth and Market streets.
Market Street was shut down between Seventh and Ninth streets following the shooting, but has since reopened. San Francisco Municipal Railway bus and streetcar routes that used Market Street were rerouted around the scene, but have since resumed normal service.
A town hall meeting about the incident is tentatively scheduled for Monday.
