20-Year-Old Fatally Shot Near Ghirardelli Square While Playing Pokémon Go [Updated]

20-Year-Old Fatally Shot Near Ghirardelli Square While Playing Pokémon Go [Updated]Photo: Thomas Hart/Flickr
Rose Garrett
Published on August 07, 2016

A 20-year-old man was fatally shot last night near Ghirardelli Square. The man, identified as San Mateo resident Calvin Riley, was shot in the chest near Aquatic Park, reports the Chronicle.

Officers were called to the 900 block of North Point Street at 9:51pm, where Riley received first aid but was declared dead at the scene.

No suspect has been arrested in the shooting. We'll update this story if and when more details emerge.

Update, 8/8, 8:30am: According to the Chronicle, Riley was shot in the chest by an unknown assailant while playing the smartphone game Pokémon Go. The shooting "makes no sense," U.S. Park Police investigator Robert Jansing told the paper, noting that Aquatic Park was bustling at the time of the shooting. While no suspect has been identified or arrested, police are hopeful that the crowds, combined with surveillance footage, could lead to a break in the case. 

Riley, a graduate of San Mateo's Junipero Serra High School, was about to begin his sophomore year studying kinesiology at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. He was a pitcher on the school's baseball team. 

"You had all the mechanics, talent and dedication to make your dreams a reality. But all that was taken by a coward who wanted to shoot up a Pokéstop," Riley's cousin Gabriel Antonio Morales wrote on a GoFundMe page dedicated to raising money for Riley's funeral. 

Fisherman's Wharf has been promoting itself as a destination for Pokémon Go players, even hosting a neighborhood-wide Pokémon crawl—whose route included Aquatic Park—in late July. While there have been several snatch-and-grab robberies of Bay Area Pokémon Go players who were unaware of their surroundings, this is the first time the game has been linked to a death in San Francisco. However, investigators declined to comment on whether it was a factor in Riley's killing. 

If you have any information on the shooting, contact the U.S. Park Police tip line at (415) 561-5150.