Homicide inspectors from the San Francisco Police Department were knocking on doors late Sunday, asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects involved in a pre-dawn fatal stabbing.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, authorities responded to a report of a fight at 12:30 a.m. near the intersection of Folsom and Cesar Chavez streets in the Mission District. Police found Germán Fernández, of Daly City, wounded five blocks east, near Cesar Chavez and Bryant streets, according to the Chronicle. He later died.
“We have been talking to people. We have a lot of follow up work to do,” said SFPD Inspector Joe Engler late Sunday.
“We’re doing follow up on leads,” he said before walking into a residence at Bernal Dwellings with a handful of other inspectors.
At least two marked police vehicles, including an SUV, were nearby.
Engler could not comment on the incident, as it is still an open investigation, but did confirm that police don’t have a clear lead on the number of suspects involved.
“The last couple of months have been very hectic around here,” said Gustavo Enrique, 35, an attendant working at Alianza gas station at Bryant and Cesar Chavez streets, close to where police found the victim.
Enrique, who did not witness the incident, was not surprised by the event.
He said the gas station was robbed a few months ago.
Though foot patrols have increased in recent months, Enrique said they tend to be focused three blocks north on 24th Street, where three people were killed in two incidents in September.
“You can pretty much get away with anything down here,” said Enrique.
A Bernal Dwellings resident, Nicole, who asked that only her first name be used, heard nothing though she was home when the incident reportedly occurred.
She said the intersection is a common gathering spot for day laborers but that it is usually empty at night. The nearby gas station and convenience store close at 10 p.m., a store clerk said.
Sunday’s stabbing was the fourth murder in the Mission District this year.
Anyone with information is asked to call (415) 553-1145 or (415) 553-1997 to speak with Gianrico Pierucci or Joe Engler, SFPD homicide inspectors.
The foot patrols on 24th St are only there so people feel safe while shopping at the new boutiques. They seem to spend a lot of time telling homeless people to move. What else can they do? It’s typical Potemkin Policing.