Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Man Shot In The Western Addition

SF Western Addition Shooting May Be Gang Related

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ― A man shot Tuesday evening in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood is expected to survive his injuries, police said.

Police said the shooting happened at about 8 p.m. near the intersection of Scott and Turk streets.

The victim was unwilling to cooperate with investigators, and police suspect the shooting was gang-related.

No arrests were made in connection with the shooting, police said.

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Monday, October 20, 2008

Girl Killed By Stray Bullet In Hunters Point

Family's efforts couldn't keep girl from harm

Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, October 20, 2008

Jonisha Tucker caught a 5:45 a.m. bus every school day to make a 1 1/2-hour trip to George Washington High in the Richmond District, taking her far from her housing project in San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.

Family members hoped the school - along with their supervision - would protect her from the drugs, gangs and violence surrounding the Alice Griffith housing development, where the 16-year-old girl grew up with her mother and two older brothers.

It didn't.

Drawn to watch a fight just blocks from her home last week, the random violence that her family feared found her: Police said a 14-year-old boy fired a shot during the neighborhood scrap, killing Jonisha.

"It's sad," said Inspector Dennis Maffei of the San Francisco Police Department homicide detail. "This girl was an angel. She was taken from us by another child who should not have been playing with or handling guns."

The alleged shooter, a boy who lived in the neighborhood, is being held on murder charges in connection with her death, authorities said. Police said Jonisha was an unintended victim.

Her 26-year-old brother, Larry Barefield, said he tried to watch over her. He would not talk about what happened Tuesday night.

"I always tried to keep Jonisha out of harm's way," Barefield said softly, laying a bouquet of roses on a makeshift memorial outside the family's home. "I wish they had more activities to do, instead of letting these kids hang out, letting 14- and 15-year-old kids walking around with weapons, feeling like they have to protect themselves. It shouldn't be that way."

Growing up in tough area

Jonisha, known to her friends as J-Ray, was raised in one of the city's toughest housing developments, also known as Double Rock, near Candlestick Park.

Her mother, Annette McClendon, pushed to move the family of four into a larger unit, and eventually succeeded when Jonisha was 5 years old. McClendon was too distraught to be interviewed for this story.

As a youngster, Jonisha worked at the nearby Double Rock community garden.

"She weeded, planted vegetables," said Jacqueline Williams, who manages the garden. "She was a go-getter. She would take care of everything. She was good at it, too."

Dennis Molina, a neighbor who watched Jonisha grow up, said the girl had a natural ability to relate to others.

"She had a mind of her own, and she was a leader," Molina said. "She had this confidence about herself. It came from her mom, from her family."

Strong athlete, 'big heart'

Jonisha played basketball at Luther Burbank Middle School. She competed against boys in three-on-three community tournaments. The front room of her home is filled with trophies. Last year, she teamed up with two boys and took first place in the community competition.

"She was tough, very tough - like a man," Barefield said. "She had a big heart."

Molina agreed.

"She's a tough one. She'd take on the guys down here," he said, pointing to the project basketball courts.

When it came time for Jonisha to go to high school, her family decided she should go a well-regarded school. They settled on George Washington, at 32nd Avenue and Geary Boulevard.

Jonisha started to rebel. Her grades suffered in the ninth grade, but she still made the trip each morning to the school. Molina said he rode the bus with her.

"I saw her on the bus - she went to school every single day," he said.

She didn't want to join the school basketball team, either. The coach asked her to play, but she declined, saying the team was not good enough.

Her brother said he tried to tell her that she would make the team better, but he couldn't convince her.

This year, she seemed to get the idea of why her family wanted her to go to Washington. She started getting better grades, Barefield said.

Shots fired in clash

On Tuesday night, police say, Jonisha ran outside with her friends to break up a fight outside her home on Double Rock Street. Her mother went outside as well, but the two became separated. Jonisha left on her own with friends and went several blocks away to Hollister Avenue, near Third Street.

It was there, police say, that another fight was about to explode. Groups of youths converged, and an unknown teenage boy fired a gun into the air. Police say the weapon was soon in the hands of another boy, a 14-year-old who was already on juvenile probation for brandishing a weapon that turned out to be a BB gun.

What happened next is unclear, but the boy fired a shot, police say. The bullet hit Jonisha in the head. It was 7:37 p.m.

In seconds, investigators who happened to be nearby rushed to the scene as the youths scattered.

Jonisha was taken to San Francisco General Hospital. She died two days later.

Maffei said witnesses helped identify the shooter, who was detained Tuesday night. He told investigators the gun went off as he was running with it.

Police say they haven't determined whether the boy fired the gun by accident or whether he intentionally fired it and hit Jonisha by mistake.

Maffei said Jonisha was not involved in the clash.

The veteran homicide inspector was devastated by Jonisha's death.

"Her mom said she loved her and did all she could to protect her," Maffei said.

"For me, a cop of nearly 32 years, you think after a while that things won't touch your heart. Then, something like this: It breaks your heart all over again."

At the projects where Jonisha lived, neighbors held candlelight vigils in her memory last week. They created a memorial of candles, stuffed teddy bears and photos behind her home.

Under a photo of Jonisha, a mourner left a message: "We miss and love you J-Ray."

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Man Stabbed To Death In The Financial District

Man stabbed to death in Financial District

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

(10-14) 23:54 PDT San Francisco -- San Francisco police are investigating a fatal stabbing in the Financial District tonight.

A man was found stabbed to death at Beale and Howard streets at around 10:55 p.m., police said.

The victim was apparently attacked on the street. No suspects were arrested.

Police did not have immediate information about the circumstances surrounding the attack. The homicide is under investigation.

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Shooting Injures 16-Year-Old Girl

16-year-old girl shot in the Bayview district

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

(10-14) 22:24 PDT San Francisco -- San Francisco police are investigating a shooting tonight in the Bayview district that injured a 16-year-old girl.
More Bay Area News

The shooting occurred at 7:37 p.m. at the corner of Jennings Street and Hollister Avenue, according to a police dispatcher. The girl was taken to San Francisco General Hospital. Her name was not released, and her condition was unknown.

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Man Shot To Death In The Sunset

SF: UPDATE: DALY CITY MAN IDENTIFIED AS VICTIM OF SUNSET DISTRICT HOMICIDE

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

A 46-year-old man found shot dead late Monday inside a Mercedes sport utility vehicle in San Francisco's Sunset District was identified today as Hung Pham of Daly City, according to the San Francisco medical examiner's office.

Police said the shooting occurred at about 11 p.m. near the intersection of 17th Avenue and Noriega Street.

Pham was shot multiple times through the window of the SUV, which had been parked at the corner of the intersection, according to police.

He was found in the driver's seat and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police had no immediate suspect information and no arrests have been made.

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Monday, October 13, 2008

Man Shot In SOMA

SF: MAN SHOT IN ANKLE IN SOUTH OF MARKET DISTRICT

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

A man was shot in the ankle in San Francisco's South of Market district this morning, according to the Police Department.

Around 2:15 a.m., officers responded to Eighth and Folsom streets to find the man suffering from the gunshot wound, a police officer said.

He was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, police said.

No suspects were arrested.

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Saturday, October 11, 2008

Hunters Point Shooting Kills One, Injures One

One man killed and one injured in San Francisco shooting

Jaxon Van Derbeken

Saturday, October 11, 2008

(10-11) 19:02 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A 26-year-old San Francisco man was killed Friday and a second man was seriously wounded in a shooting in the city's Bayview District, police said.

Leonard Waters was gunned down at 11:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of Kirkwood Avenue, police said. Waters was found face down on the sidewalk, shot in the face, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The second man was shot in the shoulder, a wound considered life threatening, said Sgt. Neville Gittens, a San Francisco police spokesman.

Gittens said police did not have any description or other information on the gunman.

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Friday, October 10, 2008

Bomb Squad Searches Truck In The Mission After Pipe Bomb Explosion In Hunters Point

South Van Ness reopened after bomb squad checks pickup truck

Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, October 10, 2008

(10-10) 09:49 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Two blocks of a busy San Francisco street were shut down this morning for about four hours while the police bomb squad checked a pickup truck that investigators believe may have been linked to an earlier explosion in the Bayview district, investigators said.

South Van Ness Avenue was blocked from 14th to 16th streets while bomb squad officers, using a dog and a remote-control robot, examined the pickup. The truck, a black Dodge Ram, which was parked at the northwest corner of 15th Street and South Van Ness.

About 5:20 a.m., a small device, possibly a pipe bomb, exploded on the 1100 block of LaSalle Avenue, causing no injuries. Officers said the pickup, which matched a description of a suspect vehicle in the bombing, was spotted in the Tenderloin a short time later.

Police stopped the truck at 15th and South Van Ness and questioned two men in their 20s. The men have not been arrested.

The streets were reopened around 9:30 a.m. after police reported finding no explosives in the truck.

Residents of nearby apartments were asked to shelter in place, while pedestrians and motorists were instructed to take detours.

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Thursday, October 9, 2008

Man Stabbed And Robbed In Motel Room

Man Knifed After Letting Woman Use Motel Bathroom

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ― A 36-year-old man was robbed and stabbed early Thursday morning after he let a woman use his motel room bathroom, San Francisco police said.

The stabbing happened at about 3:45 a.m. at a motel in the 900 block of Harrison Street, in the city's South of Market district, police said.

The victim had answered a knock on his door from a woman who asked to use his bathroom, police said. After using the bathroom, the woman reportedly opened the motel room door for a man outside, who attempted to rob the victim.

A struggle ensued, during which the victim was stabbed by the male intruder several times in the back and hand, spokeswoman Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said.

Both suspects then fled with the man's possessions.

No arrests had been made, and no detailed description of the suspects was available.

The victim was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, Tomioka said.

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Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Robbery: Cell Phones, I-Pods and 7-Eleven

- A 7-Eleven on the 2600 block of Mason street in Fisherman's Wharf was robbed at gunpoint, at around 3:00 a.m this morning. The suspects, Demetrius Dews and Ahmad Washington, both 20 and of San Francisco, were arrested just a couple minutes later at Union Street and Columbus Avenue in North Beach.

- Police are warning people to be careful of flashing things like I-Pods, laptops and Cellphones around, after a man was robbed at gunpoint in SOMA on Saturday night. The 27 year-old man was robbed by three 17 year-old San Francisco boys after leaving his house on the 100 block of Dore Street. One boy pulled a gun and two more went through the man's pockets, taking his cellphone, wallet and keys. The suspects were arrested a short while later at Eighth and Natoma streets.

Man Injured In SOMA Shooting

Victim Sustains Multiple Wounds In SF Shooting

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ― A person was shot in the stomach, buttocks, arm and other areas in San Francisco's South of Market district Sunday morning, according to the Police Department.

The shooting was reported right around 2 a.m. at Folsom and 10th streets, a police sergeant said.

The victim is reportedly expected to survive and was transported to the hospital.

No suspects were arrested.

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Thursday, October 2, 2008

News From The Past Week:

-A man was shot to death as he sat in a car on the 700 block of Brunswick street, at 9:35 p.m. last night, in Crocker Amazon. The victim was identified as 32 year-old Wesly Simpson, of Daly City. A second victim was shot too, and received life-threatening injuries. The gunman fled in a waiting car.

-A man was stabbed to death early yesterday morning, on the 300 block of Ellis Street, in the Tenderloin. Another man, 44 year-old James Starghill, was shot to death on Tuesday, at around 2:00 p.m., in Portola.

-A supposedly 16 year-old boy (he has also claimed to be 21 and 22) was arrested for committing four sexual assaults in golden gate park over the last week.

-A police chase that started in Fairfield ended in Oceanview, after the suspect crashed at Orizaba Avenue and Sagamore Street.

-A man was stabbed in Hunters Point on Saturday night. He received non-life-threatening injuries.

-Night club violence is "still rampant" in North Beach.

-35 year-old Tari Ramirez was convicted of 2nd degree murder for the 2000 murder of his former girlfriend, 28 year-old Claire Tempongko. Ramirez stabbed Tempongko several times with a kitchen knife in her Richmond District apartment, in front of her then 5 and 10 year-old children. He fled to Mexico, but was arrested in 2006 and extradited back to SF.

-A man was killed when a speeding driver jumped a curb on Mission street Monday, taking out several parking meters, and the victim, before stopping against a tree. The victim was identified as Gaspar Caballero, 27, of San Francisco. The suspect was identified as Jason Yantas, 36, also of San Francisco. Yantas may have nodded off while driving, and is being charged with felony manslaughter, and driving on a suspended license. A gun was also found in Yantas' car, which is unregistered.