A panel of public officials met with about 60 community members this afternoon for a town hall meeting to discuss the altercation with police that led to the shooting death of 27-year-old Herbert Benitez at Eighth and Market last week.
For the discussion, Chief Greg Suhr was accompanied by four members of the Police Commission; Teresa Gracie, captain of the Tenderloin Police Station, Alexa O'Brien, lieutenant of criminal investigations; and Toney Chaplin, commander of investigations. Representatives of the Office of Citizen Complaints and District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim were also in attendance.
The chief began the meeting by providing the police department's account of the events that led to the shooting, based on statements made by the two officers involved and witnesses on the scene.
As the department disclosed last week, Suhr stated that Benitez was throwing glass bottles into Eighth Street and was asked to stop by a man working at the Trinity Towers construction site. When he refused, the construction worker flagged down a police car heading southbound toward Mission Street.
Benitez was standing in front of the Trinity Towers construction site on Eighth Street when confronted by the officers. (Photo: Google Maps)
The driver, who took the lead in confronting Benitez, is a 27-year veteran of the police department and has served as a sergeant in the Tenderloin for 14 years. His partner, who ultimately shot Benitez, has been with the force for 17 years, seven of those spent working in the Tenderloin.
When the first responding officer made initial contact with Benitez and tried to take control of his arms, he yelled at the officer not to touch him, Suhr said. Responding to his agitation, the officer stepped back to give him space to calm down. However, Benitez moved forward, reached into the officers shirt, grabbed onto his vest and slammed him to the ground. Once on the ground, Benitez grabbed the officer's gun and pointed it at him, and the officer yelled at his partner to shoot his assailant. The partner shot Benitez, who died at the scene.
The officer who was slammed to the ground suffered from a bruised rib, bruised kidney, dislocated knee and scratches to the face. His partner also received facial injuries.
While write-in candidate for mayor John E. Fitch told the gathering that the department's account of the shooting echoes the gossip he's hearing on the streets "for the first time," another resident asked Suhr to explain how someone could remove a gun from an officer's holster. Suhr said it is difficult to remove a gun from the type of safety holster the officer was wearing and he did not want to provide instructions on how to do so, "but it did happen this time."
In response to questions about video evidence secured from the scene, Suhr said his team has and is continuing to canvas the area for video evidence, but none has been recovered yet. Specifically, the Muni cameras on Market Street and the cameras at the Chase Bank on the corner of Eighth and Market were not aimed far enough down Eighth Street to capture the scene.
Pointing out that the department has a record of training officers in crisis intervention tactics that defuse such situations, another community member asked if the responding officers had received the training. Suhr said that while the officers' actions were in line with the teachings, they had not.
While Chief Suhr stated that independent investigations are being undertaken by the district attorney's office and Office of Citizen Complaints in addition to the SFPD, one Tenderloin resident asked whether there is budget for the department to hire an investigator from outside the city. Suhr stated that he was not aware of any funds available to conduct such an investigation.
In addition to commenters highlighting how the shooting relates to officer-involved shootings nationwide, a number of community members focused on safety concerns surrounding the Civic Center location of the shooting.
A Tenderloin resident discusses ongoing safety concerns in the area.
Jim Hass, the resident advocate for the Civic Center Community Benefit District, told the panel that for years, the area surrounding Eighth and Market has harbored drug dealing and other illicit activities. The Orpheum Theater must employee six security guards during each performance and the CBD has one 10B officer patrolling the area every week, he said, but they need to the police department to step up enforcement in the area.
Echoing that sentiment, Megan Anderson, public services project manager at the San Francisco Public Library's Main branch, said that the neighborhood is in crisis and needs the police department to help create a safer environment surrounding the library.
One woman — who identified herself as a friend of Benitez and his mother — also argued that the city is in crisis and needs more mental health services to prevent such incidents, but it should not be the police department's job to render those services.
Another resident and representative of the Coalition for Latino Voters focused on the safety of the city's Hispanic population. He told the panel that he feared for his life given the discrimination the city's Latino population is currently facing — especially following the shooting and death of Kathryn Steinle in July. But when he and many of his peers are in need of assistance, they refuse to call the police due to fears that the language barrier will cause misunderstandings. Suhr urged the speaker to call 911 in times of need, and reminded the room that San Francisco is a sanctuary city and officers are not allowed to inquire about the callers' residency status.
While the city is conducting three separate investigations into the shooting, the panel did not provide a timeframe for sharing additional findings with the public.
Anyone who was unable to make today’s meeting can address the police commission at its next public hearing at 6pm Oct. 21st at 240 Turk St. The commission will focus its discussion on the department’s policy for future body cameras, but time is also set aside to community members to share comments on anything under the jurisdiction of the commission.
