San Francisco

San Francisco Police Arrest Suspect in Connection With 2015 Hayes Valley Quadruple Homicide

Police arrested a man Friday morning in connection with the homicides of four young men who were fatally shot at as they sat in a parked car in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood last year.

After investigating the homicides for more than a year, police recently developed probable cause to arrest San Francisco resident Lee Farley, police said.

Farley, 27, was arrested around 9 a.m. Friday at the U.S. Prison at Atwater, in Stanislaus County, where he was in custody on an unrelated charge, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to police. Court documents reveal he has a history of drugs- and weapons-related charges.

Officers then booked him into the San Francisco jail on suspicion of four counts of murder, four counts of shooting at an inhabited vehicle, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted narcotics offender, and one count of participating in a criminal street gang, police said.

The homicides occurred on Jan. 9, 2015, on Page Street between Octavia and Laguna streets.

Around 10 p.m., officers responded to the area on a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers discovered the four victims, all suffering from fatal gunshot wounds, inside a stolen car that had been double-parked on the street and was riddled with bullet holes.

The four victims were later identified as San Francisco residents Yalani Chinyamurindi, 19, Harith Atchan, 21, Manuel O'Neal, 22, and Antioch resident David Saucier, 20.

Friday's arrest drudged up a lot of emotions for Sala-Asalhaquekyah Chandler, the mother of Chinyamurindi.

"His life was taken before he could even get started," she said.

Chandler said she has been pressuring police to find the gunman for nearly 1.5 years.

"I could not rest unless they made an arrest," she said. "How could I say I love my son if I don't fight for my son?" 

Chandler said she hopes Farley's arrest is the first step toward justice for all the families involved. She wants the case to go to trial, she said, adding, "I want that for my child. He deserves that and so [do] the rest."

Meanwhile, San Francisco's Acting Chief of Police Toney Chaplin had a very personal reaction to Farley's arrest.

"I was the officer in charge of the Homicide Detail at the time of this homicide and later promoted to Commander of Investigations," he said in a statement. "I promised the victims' families that the San Francisco Police Department would do everything we could to solve this brutal crime."

He continued: "I am happy to announce that the department has arrested a suspect and begun the process of bringing justice and healing to the victims' families."

Police said their investigation into the homicide continues.

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