Columns

I have viewed the YouTube video of the killing of 26-year old Mario Woods on December 2, 2015, in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood by five San Francisco police officers. The autopsy report shows that Woods suffered at least 20 bullet wounds, many of them in the back. 

In the video, Woods is against a wall supposedly carrying a knife, but appears not to comprehend what was happening. This is understandable considering that the autopsy showed the presence of methamphetamine, marijuana, antidepressants, and cough medicine in his system. Woods was allegedly responsible for an earlier stabbing but at the time of the later shooting, the police did not appear at the time of the shooting to be in imminent danger of attack by Woods. It was as if Woods was facing a firing squad, or an execution if you will. 

What concerns me is that San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr so quickly called the shooting justifiable and the Police Officers Association (POA) right on cue voiced support for the police officers involved, who I understand are back on the job. The whole ugly incident does not give citizens of San Francisco much confidence in our police department, the POA, or the Board of Supervisors for their day of remembrance for Mario Woods, before all the facts were in. 

Luckily, there will be a much-needed U.S. Department of Justice investigation of the San Francisco police force. Hopefully, this investigation and the federal lawsuit against the City of San Francisco on behalf of the family of Mario Woods will replace the too-quick-to-judge responses with facts.