At approximately 10am this morning, a 27-year-old woman was shot and killed by police at Elmira and Shafter streets in Bayview. According to the Examiner, the woman was allegedly driving a stolen car around 9:45am when she was pulled over by two SFPD officers who specialize in searching for stolen vehicles.
The woman attempted to flee the scene with the officers in pursuit, ultimately colliding with a truck. The officers approached her on foot, and after a witness said she drove the car "back-and-forth," the woman was shot once by one of the officers. She was taken to SF General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
It's unclear whether or not the woman, whose name has yet to be released, was armed. According to SFGate, she was trying to dislodge the vehicle and was "not complying with police orders" when she was shot.
Mayor Ed Lee, who was at a community meeting at the time of the shooting, cut the meeting short, telling ABC7 that he's holding SFPD chief Greg Suhr accountable. However, he declined to comment as to whether he will ask Suhr to resign, as has been called for by many protesters.
SFPD has been under a host of criticism of late with regard to citizens killed by police, including Luis Gongora, who was shot in the Mission last month, and Mario Woods, who was shot in Bayview last December. In the wake of the Frisco 5 protests over those shootings this month, Lee announced that he would include $17.5 million in police reforms and violence prevention efforts in his new budget.
District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen, who represents Bayview, described the shooting as "deeply troubling" and said she will request an independent investigation of the incident by the Office of Citizen Complaints. The event "highlights the need for constant analysis and reevaluation of our Police Department's use of force policies," she said in a statement.
We'll keep you up to date on the latest regarding this incident.
Update, 4:46pm: According to the Examiner, Lee has asked Suhr to submit his resignation. His replacement as interim chief will be Toney Chaplin.
