Police shot and killed a man armed with a shotgun and a handgun at a construction site near St. Luke’s Hospital at around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The San Francisco Medical Examiner identified the man Thursday morning as Javier Lopez Garcia, a San Jose resident.
Police Chief Greg Suhr said responding officers shot Garcia after hearing shots from the top of the construction site and seeing the suspect point his shotgun at the hospital. He was standing on an open floor of the construction site near Valencia and Cesar Chavez in the Mission District, across from St. Luke’s. No other injuries were reported.
“Officers have swept the construction site. It’s very fortunate that nobody else was more seriously injured or killed,” Suhr said. A hospital spokesperson confirmed that no one had been injured and said the hospital immediately went on lockdown when the incident began.
Officers received a call about an armed man at the construction site near St. Luke’s Hospital, Suhr said, and responding officers could hear shots being fired as they ran to the scene. When they arrived, the suspect was on top of an open-air construction elevator wearing white coveralls and holding a shotgun directed at the hospital, Suhr said.
He said the officers then pointed their weapons at the suspect, who then pointed his gun “down below,” at the officers approaching on the ground. Three officers then shot at the suspect, who can be seen slumped over in security footage of the incident. The city’s medical examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Surh said the suspect had just stolen the shotgun at a Big 5 Sporting Goods in San Bruno and drove up to the city. San Bruno police communicated with the San Francisco Police Department as events unfolded, asking if the suspect’s description matched that of the suspect in the robbery, which it did.
The suspect robbed the store with a handgun and took the shotgun, according to Suhr. Both were in his possession at the scene, Suhr said, and the suspect’s vehicle was also recovered on site.
The construction site is for a replacement hospital for St. Luke’s, a hospital official said, and bystanders indicated that the shooter ran up the stairs by the elevator shaft after passing entry through a fence.
Webcam shows SFPD converge on gunman–elevator at right empty 4:16pm, man visible 4:30, cops on roof 4:44 & 4:51 pic.twitter.com/0MjqHmb5AD
— Demian Bulwa (@demianbulwa) November 12, 2015
Claudia, a hospital employee who declined to give her last name, said hospital staff were evacuated after an announcement was made over the PA system. She was watching the scene from a hospital window when she heard a loud bang.
“I heard a big boom at 4:20 and thought, ‘That’s no welder,’” she said.
“I heard two loud pops, not sure if it was gunshots,” said Lisa Morris, who lives across the street on Mission. Morris said she saw police arriving at around 4:30 p.m.
Evelyn, a bystander who declined to give her last name, said the shooter fired three shots in the street before running into the hospital building. Another bystander, Elijah, said he saw two people on the roof firing shots.
“The gunman was shooting at construction workers,” he said. He said he heard five shots, then screaming, and later two explosions, which may have been flash-bangs. Police could be heard on the scanner announcing their intention to use flash-bangs near an elevator from which the suspect was later recovered. Other witnesses said they saw the flash-bangs being used being used.
“I saw him on the roof of the building holding a shotgun just before he got shot,” said a hospital worker who did not wish to be named. “Then I went into the bathroom because I did not want to see any more.”
Paul, a foreman at the site, said he saw a tattooed man in his 20s with a handgun running up the stairs saying “Get out of the way!” and shouting that he was suicidal. Paul then immediately ran down the stairs, he said, and five minutes later the police arrived.
“He pushed by [Paul]” said another construction worker. “[Paul] told us to get out of the way.”
“I turned that corner on Cesar Chavez and I hear five shots,” said Eric, a nearby resident. “Then about four quick shots. Sounded like a small handgun. I couldn’t see who shot. Then two loud explosions…I heard somebody yelling. It was the shooter.”
We are updating this post as new details become available.
So happy to hear that no one (except the guy with the rifle) was hurt, including you,Mission Local reporters. Thanks for filling us in.