SFPD: Possible suspect identified in racist harassment, threats of Black dog walker  

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Investigators with the San Francisco Police Department confirmed Thursday night that they have identified a possible suspect in the hate crimes committed against Terry Williams, the Black dog walker who lived with his parents in a duplex in Alamo Square. 

That home has been uninhabitable since a fire broke out on May 21. It’s unclear if police believe the person is also a suspect in the fire, and the San Francisco Fire Department has yet to conclude that arson caused the fire. 

Lt. Bassey Obot, who oversees hate crimes at SFPD, made the announcement at a Thursday night community community meeting organized by District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston. Obot said the police could not confirm anything else related to the investigation, as it is still ongoing.

“To date, we’ve served two search warrants and looked into one possible suspect,” said Obot. “I don’t want to leak out any details or jeopardize it in a way that might assist the suspect in covering their tracks or anything like that.”

Obot called it a serious case. “The San Francisco District Attorney’s office takes hate crimes very seriously. They look for aggressive prosecution. And usually, when my office delivers those cases, we’ve got a lot of evidence.” 

Sitting next to Obot, two representatives for the Fire Department, Captain Chad Law and Chief of Operations Darius Luttropp, told the audience that their department could not share anything about its separate investigation into what caused the fire, as it is also ongoing.

Williams received two packages at his house at the beginning of May, five days apart, each containing Black dolls and a series of racist slurs and threats. Then, last week, the home he lives in with his parents and nephew burned in an unexplained fire. Throughout the ordeal, the community around Williams has organized events and two GoFundMe campaigns to support the family. One was started after the packages were reported, and has raised $128,070. The other was launched after the fire, and has raised $112,960.  

Williams, who was also present at the meeting, got on stage and thanked all the community supporters and both Law and Luttropp for the fire department’s quick response to the blaze.

“First of all, I want to thank you. Thank you for saving my mom,” said Williams who, at the time of the fire, was at City Hall seeking help. “Y’all were fast.”

When asked about the condition of his parents, Williams said that the burns on his father’s head were more severe than initially diagnosed, but that he was “a trooper” and doing fine. However, when it came to his mom, Williams said her health is a little more delicate.

As if this was not enough, Williams explained that he has also been dealing with the insurance company and the long process of learning how to fill out the paperwork to submit a claim. Luckily, he said, he has a friend in real estate and the help of a lawyer who attended the community meeting. As for work, Williams said he is ready to go back.

“This Monday, I need to get back into it, because I feel like I’m letting them win if I don’t work. I got to get back out there,” said Williams. “I can’t let them win. They won a couple of battles right now. They’re not gonna win the war.”

If you do have tips or information, reach to SFPD’s department operations center at 415-553-1071.