SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The grieving mother of a young black man shot dead by San Francisco police has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, saying officers needlessly opened fire in an incident captured on video and circulated widely online.
Five San Francisco police officers shot and killed Mario Woods, 26, on the afternoon of Dec. 2 after they say he refused commands to drop an 8-inch knife he was carrying. Police were responding to a stabbing report in the city’s gritty Bayview neighborhood when they encountered and surrounded Woods.
Two video clips of the incident have circulated widely online, angering community leaders and activists. During community meetings this week, some have called for Chief Greg Suhr to resign and for the officers who fired their guns to be charged criminally.
Dozens of protesters marched Friday through the streets to San Francisco’s City Hall. Some of them held signs demanding Suhr’s resignation. Police stood guard from a distance.
“This happened under his watch,” said Sam Sinyangwe, 25. The crowd dispersed about 3:30 p.m., Sinyangwe said.