SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) — San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has issued a statement this morning after an officer was shot in the head Friday evening in the city’s Lake Shore neighborhood.
“Last night I received one of those calls that as a mayor you never want to receive. The phone call that tells you a police officer has been shot in the line of duty,” Lee said in the statement.
“Each day, the members of the San Francisco Police Department face uncertainty and danger with the purpose of protecting our city and its residents,” Lee said.
This morning, the officer remains hospitalized and is conscious but is listed in critical condition, according to police.
The incident began around 8:15 p.m., when officers responded to the Lakeshore Shopping Center at 1501 Sloat Blvd. after receiving a call about a man causing a disturbance and making threats, police said.
When officers encountered the man in the first block of Everglade Drive, he fired several shots toward the officers, striking one of them in the head. The suspect then ran toward Sigmund Stern Grove, according to
police.
The injured officer’s partner provided first aid and requested backup, who established a perimeter around Stern Grove Park, police said.
The suspect came out of the bushes at 28th Avenue and Vicente Street and tried to run away. Officers however chased and shot the suspect, who then fell to the ground while holding his gun to his chest and refusing to surrender, according to police.
Tactical officers utilized flash-bang devices to distract the man, and were able to arrest him. The suspect was taken to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment of his injuries, police said.
The wounded officer was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, according to police.
“My thoughts remain with the officer and his family,” Lee said in the statement.