Police arrested Javier Campos III, 22, Wednesday in connection with last week’s mass shooting in the Mission.
“The San Francisco Police Department was part of a multi-jurisdictional effort that took Javier Campos into custody. Campos had several outstanding warrants for his arrest from multiple Bay Area agencies,” read a statement from the San Francisco Police Department.
He was booked into Santa Cruz County jail early Thursday morning, according to booking logs.
Campos has not yet been charged with a crime in San Francisco, though he has multiple arrest warrants across the Bay Area, including one for an Oakland homicide earlier this year.
Friday’s shooting took place outside Dying Breed, a clothing store at 24th Street and Treat Avenue, during an outdoor party celebrating the shop’s sixth anniversary. Nine people were wounded and one remains in critical condition. Within a day of the shooting, police sources told reporters that Campos was a suspect.
On Tuesday, the Mission Peace Collaborative will hold a peace rally at 5:30 p.m. at the 24th Street BART Plaza. “We want to remind people to come, to have some healing and to celebrate the good,” said one leader.
Mission Local discovered that just three days after the shooting, Campos appeared to brag about a similar crime online in an Instagram post.
“Imma make sure them n**** neva post up on that block again,” reads a post shared Monday morning on boogangj.baby’s Instagram account, which is owned by a man matching Campos’ face and neck tattoo.
Screenshots taken Monday morning and reviewed by Mission Local showed the Instagram post set to the song, “Murder Alley.” By 12:30 p.m. on Monday, every post on the account had been deleted, and by Wednesday evening, the account had been taken down.
While the Instagram account was not officially verified as Campos’, the profile’s avatar appears to be Campos. The account also links to a YouTube profile of a rapper, “Boogang J.Baby,” who looks like Campos.
Recent comments on that YouTube account seem to refer to Friday’s shooting, in which nine people were injured.
“9 hit but all survived I thought La Eme banned driveby action?? I’ll be laughing once the homies really down one of em skewer,” one user commented Monday, using a term — La Eme — for the Mexican Mafia gang.
Another YouTube comment appeared to refer to a fight that occurred the last weekend of May, which officials believed was connected to Friday’s shooting.
Online, guns and tributes to dead father and step-brother
The rapper’s name and social media usernames seem to honor the 22-year-old’s father, Javier Campos, nicknamed “Baby Face,” and his step-brother, Jose Luis Anthony Escobar, nicknamed “Boo.”
Both were shot and killed in separate incidents only a month apart in 2012, when Campos was 12 years old. Campos also used the nickname “Baby.”
His Instagram account bio reads, “Rip Pops Rip goon.”
The boogang.jbaby Instagram account was also tagged in a rap music video on Instagram 32 weeks ago, where a man resembling Campos wears a necklace with a giant “J” and raps inside a silver Mercedes-Benz. Police identified the suspect on Friday as driving a silver Mercedes-Benz with the license plate 9BPT146.
The incident on Friday night that wounded nine attendees of an outdoor party occurred when a man drove by in a silver Mercedes and fired multiple shots into the crowd. Dozens of young people were gathered in front of Mission Skateboards to celebrate Dying Breed, a local clothing and design brand that is housed at the skate shop.
As of Wednesday afternoon, one of the wounded remains in critical condition, two are in “fair” condition, and six have been discharged, according to San Francisco General Hospital, which received all nine victims. The majority are in their 20s; the oldest is 34.
A life in Richmond and the Mission
Officials, local businesspeople, and community members stress that those injured on Friday did not know Campos personally.
Campos grew up in Richmond, California, but bounced around the East Bay and the Mission District. He went to De Anza High School in Richmond and worked as a cashier at True Religion Brand Jeans in his youth, according to his Facebook profile. He studied at Contra Costa College in San Pablo.
He lived in Richmond with his mother for a time, but Campos is also listed at a current Mission District address, which appears to be a family home, according to sources and public records.
His father’s roots in the Mission run deep. Born and raised here, the elder Campos grew up enamored with muscle cars, and befriended many in the neighborhood. A video posted on Campos’ Facebook page in 2015 suggests Campos hung around the neighborhood, too; it shows him smoking in front of the old Tower Theater on Mission Street between 20th and 21st streets.
That same year, when Campos was a teenager, he posted on Facebook referencing a parole officer, violence and his struggles. “My p.o. playin” read a status update in June, 2015. “Life ant lookin good right now but I’m finna pull threw,” he wrote a week later.
As he grew older, the younger Campos spent much of his time rapping as “Boogang J.Baby,” and filmed music videos on both sides of the bay, according to his YouTube account Boogang Ent, which is linked on his Instagram account. He posted his first video in 2022, and the most recent videos were published a month ago.
A couple of scenes in one video are recorded at 16th Street and Rondel Place in the Mission — near the intersection where his elder step-brother, “Boo,” was killed in November, 2012. At the time, Campos was a preteen.
Campos’ songs repeat themes common in music: Making money, sex, revenge violence, murder and family.
His deceased father and step-brother, and someone named “Goon,” also appear in his songs.
He raps in one: “Long live goon and long live pops/Long live Boo/Play with they name we gon’ make another body drop.”
Father, step-brother killed within months of each other
Campos was only 12 when, just a month apart, his father and step-brother were killed in shootings.
His father was murdered in a Richmond Taco Bell parking lot in September, 2012, just 11 days after he was released from prison for selling drugs.
The elder Campos reportedly argued with his brother-in-law, Ismael Luis Carrillo, over a video game, and asked to meet up at the fast food joint to clear the air, according to a Mercury News report. Campos’ mother, Dina, and Carillo’s wife, Erika, were present.
“Erika Carrillo told investigators that Campos was the only one who remained calm,” the Mercury News article said. “Campos told Luis Carrillo, ‘Your issue is with your sister, not me.’” Carillo shot the elder Campos, who died in the parking lot.
The elder Campos, according to a report in Richmond Confidential, was a funny “people-person” whose big cheeks earned him the nickname “Baby Face.” His family said the elder Campos sold narcotics to provide for his family, earned his GED during his two-year prison sentence and, upon release, secured a job at a San Francisco drywall company.
The month after his father was murdered, Campos’ step-brother, Escobar, was shot and killed on the corner of Valencia and 16th streets while waiting for a friend to pick him up. Two individuals approached Escobar, who police then said was a Sureño member, and shot him at 3 a.m. Escobar was 19.
Escobar told his younger brothers to stay in school, and took care of the family, who called him “Boo,” relatives told Mission Local at the time. At Escobar’s funeral, his siblings wore white tee-shirts that read, “I Miss You Boo.”
Campos’ Facebook page mentioned those deaths. “Sum times I miss ma dad wish he could see me now,” he wrote in a post on June 15, 2015, when he was 15.
In September of that year, Campos posted a tribute picture of what appears to be his brother. “I miss u like crazy n**** ever since my drilla been gone a n**** don’t no how to act I love you bra miss yo ass everyday.”
Criminal history with guns, drugs
Aside from his arrest in Friday’s shooting, Campos has at least three arrest warrants across the Bay Area: One in Oakland for homicide, and two in San Mateo County for illegal gun possession and for smuggling drugs into jail. He also has a prior conviction for carjacking and robbery.
Oakland police confirmed there is an “active warrant for a subject named Javier Campos involved in a homicide in Oakland.” The homicide, police said, was a January 23 incident earlier this year in which an 18-year-old was killed and seven others injured on MacArthur Boulevard and Seminary Avenue in East Oakland, on the perimeter of Mills College. One suspect has been arrested for the killing, and remains in custody.
A group of 40 to 50 people were filming a music video on the corner, according to Oakland police, when a shootout occurred “between several individuals.”
Campos’ first serious encounter with the criminal justice system occurred in 2018, when he was convicted in Contra Costa County of carjacking and second-degree robbery in January, according to charging documents. That same year, on Valentine’s Day, he became a ward of the juvenile court in Contra Costa.
Campos was put on parole after his first conviction, according to San Mateo District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe. Then, on Jan. 2, 2020, Campos allegedly hit a woman in the face with a handgun in Daly City, according to the documents. He was allegedly carrying a .40 caliber “ghost gun.” He was charged with a felony for illegal firearm possession.
In February, 2021, Campos was allegedly attempting to smuggle opiates into the county jail in Redwood City by asking his then-girlfriend to send him Suboxone strips in the mail, according to the documents.
On May 5, he was due to appear in court for both crimes. Instead, Campos skipped court. The judge issued two warrants for his arrest, according to Wagstaffe, setting bail at a combined $75,000.
Additional reporting by Lydia Chavez, Sid Goldfader-Dufty and Joe Rivano Barros.
Crime is trauma and the county offers different services, which can be found here. Victims of violent crime can also contact the Trauma Recovery Center at UCSF.
Mission Mass Shooting
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This whole article is based upon assumptions and theories. That’s just my point of view, but thank you for bringing this young man’s trauma to light for us readers to go focus on what our communities is lacking of and you can simply tell this is a prime example of what ignoring traumas and just put band aid into the real struggle the hunger of opportunities and oppression we living at home meanwhile our president is sending trillions to another country supporting foreign wars when we have bigger issues at home .
“His family said the elder Campos sold narcotics to provide for his family …” LOL! No conflict of interest there, is there? Annika I hope you did not write that with a straight face.
While we can of course question how “good” of a decision dealing was for Campos, it’s totally easy to see how someone might view dealing drugs as the best way to make money for their family. Especially if they feel they don’t have other opportunities available to them (he didn’t even have a HS degree).
Anecdotally I’ve met a few different dealers whose primary motivation was to make extra cash to support their families. Children are expensive. You only have to look at things like Breaking Bad to see how the idea of selling drugs to support your kids could be very appealing to a desperate person.
The way to make the most money, is not equal to the way to make the best money. It says “upon release, secured a job at a San Francisco drywall company” – so it is certainly tragic that he got killed after getting a straight job.
Great article! Very well written and informative!!
This man was arrested by police a few days ago. He has not been accused or indicted by the DA. Everyone hates the crime (me included) but can we wait a few minutes before deciding one of our brothers or sisters is guilty and gleefully celebrating their incarceration? Though I believe prison sometimes necessary, I don’t understand taking pleasure in someone else’s suffering, victim or perpetrator. And, we don’t know if this fellow is either. I like Mission Local and the reporters do a great job. I am dissapointed, however, that in this case they seem to think their job is to find and report “evidence” (however carefully) to support police arrests. Last i heard, the police don’t always arrest the right person. I think that’s why we all get the presumption of innocence and a chance to challenge the State’s accusations before they lock us in a cell. Hope those rights are upheld when I or anyone else needs them. A sadistic mob, hurting from the experience of a horrible crime, and only hearing from law enforcement, seems like a poor substitute for a judge or jury examining evidence.
The Kid: if you look around on Youtube, you will find tons of videos from the suspect bragging about shooting people. If you read the comments on the youtube videos, you will find many comments from alleged current and former(dropouts) Sueños, Norteños and Mexican Mafia members expressing shock, surprise and dismay at an alleged Hispanic gang member crudely committing crimes that might hit civilians (people not involved in the various rackets the gangs are involved in) (because doing this brings unnecessary Heat from the cops) and total surprise that anyone would constantly make public videos and songs noting names, places, and dates of murder and attempted murder.
The suspect is a psycho and needs to not be walking around in public.
I think you should think of the nine random people who got shot on the street, who weren’t doing anything deserving of nearly being murdered.
It’s possible the suspect thought the people in front of the clothing shop were all Norteños , since the shop mostly bright RED 49er themed clothing. What an idiot.
wow so your “research” is based on hearsay of trolls? and people who might just dislike that man or people who have nothing better to do and like making up stories just to be a part of the conversation? If you believe all this made up stuff just because it is trending let’s hope nobody that dislikes you starts a false story and creates different emails to create a whole bunch of comments so other people can assume the story must be right and runs with that story and that it doesnt start trending and story retold on a few different channels retelling that story and you find yourself facing time with youtube and social media as the “Evidence” and comments used as “witness testimony”
Man this world nowadays is so delusional ready to hop on bandwagons.
Excellent reporting, very thorough. Thank you so very much.
This Conversation could benefit from adding upvotes and downvotes so we can agree or disagree rather than waiting for a comment to be moderated. It’s a much more effective tool for getting a feel for how the community of readers feel about a topic or comment rather than ceding the podium to those with the time and wherewithal to go through the comment process. Maybe you are looking for written user engagement, but the comments here don’t always take the temp effectively.
Agreed. We are working on this.
I dont understand this senseless violence towards strangers, by standers. I mean what does it accomplish? More trauma, more violence?
I wanna hear what Javier Campo gotta say. It sounds he had quite a life, but something’s missing.
life sentence. No brainer
Ok Gary, would you want that. This is why news are so full of fake garbage always saying false info. Everybody just goes along with the news and never knows the whole back story . People need to get their fact straight. We need more resources not prisons. People do so much time and when they come out they are so mentally jacked up and don’t know how to live a normal life . I know everyone has choices and we all need to make wise choices but when you have the worst guidance growing up how can you. “Prison is not the answer”!!!!!
Think before you speak!!!!!
There doesn’t need to be a back story when NINE innocent people were almost murdered, the guy’s car and photo were found on traffic cams as he was leaving the area immediately following the shooting, he was wanted in crimes -including murder, AND thankfully for the victims, he was stupid enough to brag about the crimes on social media.
Instead of worrying about the back story of this pathetic waste of human potential, we should be focusing on how to help the future of the nine victims who did nothing to deserve this.
I understand your compassion and you are right that prison is not the best answer. But it is the only answer at this point. We should absolutely work towards prison reform. Until we get there, these killers still need to be removed from society since they demonstrated that they cannot live among us without harming us.
I don’t care whether criminals “know how to live a normal life”, whatever that means. Resources? You mean the money of working, law abiding citizens. Why should criminals get any? If you want more “resources”, try getting a job. Mind-blowing, I know. This guy should be executed, along with his compatriots.
Campos has lots of Youtube videos up, in his rapping he names specific people he allegedly shot and where. Not a master criminal.
As of last year, rap lyrics can’t be used as evidence in criminal prosecution in California because they are apparently simple artistic expression.
Not true. The law would require judges to press prosecutors on the purpose behind including lyrics as evidence and interrogate whether doing so injects “racial bias into the proceedings.”
“Artists of all kinds should be able to create without the fear of unfair and prejudicial prosecution,” Governor Newsom said in a statement. “California’s culture and entertainment industry set trends around the world and it’s fitting that our state is taking a nation-leading role to protect creative expression and ensure that artists are not criminalized under biased policies.”
If, for example, specific details of crimes are given in the lyrics, in a way that amounts to strong evidence, that can be used. He may have done that, bragging about “9” who aren’t going to “post” any more.
Why would anyone do that? Figure that out and save someone before it’s too late.
This is the kind of in-depth reporting that gives history and context. Such a gift compared to the one-dimensional, cartoonish “bad gang banger” portrayals of suspects in corporate media. With this insight the reader might be more analytical about violent crime. Who knows—maybe an informed reader is part of an informed public that leads to preventative solutions.
Hi miss Hom, I was a really close friend of Jose Luis Anthony Escobar- We were in juvenile hall at the same time in 2007, by then I knew him by goofy- we were in unit 3 and unit 7 maximum security unit,- I was part of the sureno gang in The lower mission of the city- I change my ways a long time ago./ did time and not I have a family that I support -/I wish that I could it have change my ways back then so maybe I would have not done so wrong to society- now I have cover all my tattoos-because of that and getting out the gang – I was put in the spotlight with the gang. They put a price on my head. Goon is his brother of escobar, real brother.He was shoot and he comes out boobabys video song in a wheel chair long curly hair- I lost contact with escobar after getting out, but he was a great kid, everybody in SF knows who killed him– He and his brother Goon became part of that life style after goofy was gun down-Is a shame that good kids take bad mistakes- I meet them both them as childs, normal not probems- I just to tell goofy to stay out the gang to be part of his real family to guide his lil brothers to good and not bad actions that could end in only 3 things-jail, murder , and the hospital or in a wheel chair, -He wanted to change but if bad to be able to change especially when you got all that respect and all of the sudden you are a sucka, we call it,The Govertment should not spend billions to fight for Wars in Ukraine-The Governent should do more for all of us and spend in good education, good health and access to a happy life. But is never like that in SF.
I just really appreciate your story and your comment: “The Governent should do more for all of us and spend in good education, good health and access to a happy life. But is never like that in SF.”
I have known so many children like this, who are surrounded by violence and trauma from a very young age. Where else are they going to go, and what else are they going to do? Pulling up bootstraps is not really a thing in such circumstances. This kind of childhood is connected to the way a young brain grows and develops.
SFUSD has done next to nothing to support students, with the exception of a few incredible teachers and staff who somehow find the personal time and resources to help who they can.
There is so much research in trauma-informed education. Unless I am missing something, we offer nothing like it in SFUSD. The notion of Restorative Practice doesn’t cut it without really strong training and implementation.
I absolutely wish it wasn’t true, but in my 28 years of connection to SFUSD as a teacher, volunteer, and parent, I have mostly lost hope.
The city needs to take back the district. We need a new mayor to take education seriously. The teachers and staff need to walk out and demand better for themselves and their students and families.
Alas, we have been saying literally the same exact thing for 28 years, and I am sure for a whole lot longer.
So easy to see how a young man grows up around violence and trauma then ultimately falls into it themseleves as an adult. Far too common an occurance. That being said, if you have multiple warrants out for murder and you shoot 9 people on a street corner, all while bragging about it on IG, you deserve to never see freedom again.
He lost his father and step brother to violent people with guns, just like him.
I see a young man who was failed by the Bay Area community. Down in Los Angeles, there are investments in community resources that support youth like him, and even more resources that pluck ‘at risk youth’ out of their lifestyles and turns them around into college grads. College grads who then leave their community and travel up north and take board of trustees seats, and other local political appointments that could otherwise be going to people with local connections. This young man has as failed by our community.
Thank you Kate, I second that I agree the system thinks by putting youth in prison or into the system that is the solution and it’s not . This is why ALLLLLLL of our tax money goes to built more prisons not Colleges not resource, for young men like him. It’s nice to hear something positive. I will never agree with crimes that are committed, but behind every crime there is a story .The only thing that they will never know his true story only what the news gathers .
Sad
Makes you wonder about Oakland PDs effort to find him, and the effectiveness of an arrest warrant. He didn’t seem to be that hard to find, and they wanted him for a MURDER (not some bs traffic or drug warrant). If OPD homicide had done their job, he shouldn’t have been out of the streets to shoot the folks in SF.
Really makes you question detective work when this person was posting their location to a public instagram account linked to from a YouTube channel named – no joke – “BAY AREA GANG WARS”. Surely Facebook or their cellphone carrier would have provided location data in response to a well-deserved subpoena.
When HA prez was murdered at 24th and Treat in 2008, SFPD couldn’t catch the perp for nothin. They put out a $5 million reward, and it didn’t work.
But Campos was probably still rolling in the Benz, texting away. CHP spotted him downtown Watsonville and gave chase. News report says they got him by deploying spike strips on Hwy 1.
The HA you’re talking about is Papa Guardado, and Mongol Christopher Ablett was convicted of killing him and sentenced to life in prison in 2012.
Good news! I’m glad this guy is off the streets.
Glad he is off the street and hopefully he will be behind bars for a long, long time. Such a shame that he wasn’t already behind bars for all of the other crimes he’s committed.
I hope the skate shop sees this incident as a chance to clean up their act. They consistently block the sidewalk, drink, smoke blunts, skate aggressively (knocking over pedestrians), and their patrons tag surrounding buildings. They are by far the worst neighbor on all of 24th St.