Mitchell Davis Warren was just 24 years old when he was shot near the southeast corner of Polk and Ellis Streets in San Francisco at about 4:30 a.m. on September 30, 2016. A decade later, the man police say pulled the trigger has never been identified, and investigators are renewing their appeal for tips as the case marks its tenth anniversary.
A Decade-Old Case With a Key Gap
According to the San Francisco Police Department, officers responded to the shooting near Polk and Ellis and the attack resulted in Warren's homicide. Warren was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was declared dead, according to kioncentralcoast.com. Police have said Warren was shot by a man during an attempted robbery, according to KTVU.
Surveillance footage from the scene captured a striking detail: one man rode on the handlebars of a bicycle while another person pedaled, per the same police account. The suspect was caught on camera and appears in two photographs the department has released, but investigators have only identified the person pedaling — not the man on the handlebars, who remains the central unsolved piece of the case, per the kioncentralcoast.com report.
Reward Figures Differ Between Sources
Exactly how much money is on the table for information remains unclear, with two official-sounding figures in circulation. The department's own case page for Warren states it has authorized a $75,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspect. A separate report published this week, however, states that the SFPD is offering a $150,000 reward for information leading to the suspect's identification, arrest and conviction — a discrepancy that has not been publicly reconciled.
Whatever the exact figure, it fits within the range SFPD says it can offer in cold homicide cases. The department's Homicide Reward Fund provides rewards ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 for information that leads to the filing of criminal charges, according to the police department's cold-case listings.
No Time Limit on the Search
Investigators continue to stress that time is not on the suspect's side. San Francisco police note there is no statute of limitations for homicide cases, meaning charges can be filed no matter how many years pass. That open-ended pursuit sits against a broader backdrop: the department cleared 94% of homicides in 2023, according to California Department of Justice data cited by the San Francisco Chronicle — the highest clearance rate among major California cities and well above the national average of 58% that year. The Chronicle also notes that clearance rates can exceed 100% in a given year because solved cases do not necessarily originate in that same year, a reminder that cold cases like Warren's can still get resolved long after the fact.
Anyone with information about the case can contact Sergeant Jon Kasper of the San Francisco Police Department at 1-415-553-1256. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call the SFPD Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or send a text to TIP411 beginning the message with SFPD.
