4:39 PM (BCN): Two people died and a third was injured in a shooting and possible stabbing at a jewelry store in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood this afternoon, police Chief Greg Suhr said.
Officers responded to a report of shots fired around 2 p.m. at 888 Brannan St.
Police encountered a male suspect covered in blood on the north side of Brannan Street who took out a gun and fired at the officers, Suhr said.
The suspect then retreated to a nearby restaurant and continued firing at the officers, then apparently ran out of ammunition and surrendered to police, Suhr said.
Authorities then went to Victoga Inc., a jewelry store in the GiftCenter & JewelryMart complex at 888 Brannan St., and found two females dead from either gunshot or stab wounds, Suhr said.
A male victim was also found suffering from gunshot wounds and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital in stable condition, the police chief said.
The suspect, whose name was not immediately being released, was also hospitalized with superficial wounds to his hands, Suhr said.
As of 4 p.m., Suhr said police were still searching the area “out of an abundance of caution” for a possible second suspect but added that investigators think they have the lone suspect responsible for the violence in custody.
He said police have not yet determined a possible motive for the shooting, but said that police had been told that “this was not the first time” the suspect had been in the building.
No officers were struck by the gunfire and police did not return fire at the suspect, Suhr said.
Customers and employees at several nearby businesses were ordered to shelter in place during the investigation but were slowly being cleared to leave this afternoon.
Maggie, a 27-year-old San Francisco resident who did not want to give her last name, said she was in a bridal boutique at 888 Brannan St. when employees turned out the lights and told everyone to go to the back of the store.
“We were all scared and freaking out,” she said.
Another woman, a 23-year-old Orinda resident who did not want to give her name, was in another jewelry store in the complex to look at engagement rings and heard the gunshots, then heard a man crying out for help.
The visibly rattled woman said, “I’m so happy to be alive” and said she was never coming back to San Francisco again.
Suhr said police have recovered a revolver and folding knife investigators believe were used in the attacks.
He said the names of the deceased victims are not being released until their families are notified of the deaths.
The 800 block of Brannan Street remained closed late this afternoon and Suhr said he expected it to remain closed for an extended period of time while police continue their investigation.
4:09 PM: One man was injured and two women were killed after a shooting at the San Francisco Gift Center Friday afternoon.
According to SFPD Chief Greg Suhr, officers responded to a report of shots fired shortly after 2 PM at 888 Brannan Street.
When police arrived at the San Francisco Gift Center, they discovered two slain women in Victoga, a gold store.
Suhr said a third male victim was taken to SF General. His injuries are not considered life-threatening, Suhr said.
Suhr said the suspect, who he says was covered in blood, ran into a neighboring Mexican restaurant, from which he fired at officers until he ran out of ammunition. After that, the man prostrated himself on the floor in surrender, Suhr said.
Suhr said the officers did not fire at the man, as their first step in situations of this nature is “to take cover.” When they took custody of the suspect, they found that he had a revolver a folding-type knife, Suhr said.
The suspect has been taken to the hospital to be treated for superficial wounds to his hands, Suhr said.
Suhr said that police believe that the man had acted alone, but that out of an “abundance of caution,” the area was being searched. He said he could not yet speculate on the motive behind the crime, be that robbery or some other reason.
Suhr also declined to provide details on the victims or the suspect at this time, but said that police had been told that “this was not the first time” the suspect had been in the building.
3:18 PM (BCN): Two people are dead after a shooting at a business in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood this afternoon, a police spokesman said.
Officers responded to a report of shots fired shortly after 2 p.m. at 888 Brannan St., police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.
They encountered a male suspect covered in blood who took out a firearm and fired at the officers, Esparza said.
The suspect then headed west on Brannan Street and continued shooting but eventually surrendered and was taken into custody, Esparza said.
Authorities then found two people dead in the lobby of the building, according to Esparza.
The GiftCenter & JewelryMart, a shopping complex featuring various gift and jewelry showrooms, is located at 888 Brannan St., but Esparza said it was not immediately clear if the shooting was connected to a robbery at the complex.
He said no officers were injured and that police did not return fire at the suspect, whose name was not immediately available.
A SWAT team and other police units were searching the area this afternoon for a possible second suspect.
Brannan Street remained closed between Seventh and Ninth streets and Eighth Street remained closed between Townsend and Harrison streets as of about 3 p.m.
David Karner, a customer service specialist at REI, a sporting goods and clothing store located nearby at 840 Brannan St., said employees and customers were ordered to shelter in place during the investigation.
2:34 PM: Two are dead after a shooting at the San Francisco Gift Center. According to reports, a suspect in the shooting has been arrested following a shootout with San Francisco Police Officers.
The shooting was reported at about at 2:03 p.m. and units were been sent to 838 Brannan and 888 Brannan, fire officials said.
KTVU reports that responders discovered two shooting victims with fatal wounds in the lobby of the San Francisco Gift Center, which is located at 888 Brannan.
According to CBS5, the suspect was taken into custody after exchanging fire with police.
“The alleged gunman opened fire at pursuing officers and then ran into a nearby building covered in blood. He then fired on officers a second time before surrendering to police,” KTVU reports.
David Karner, a customer service specialist at REI, a sporting goods and clothing store located at 840 Brannan St., said employees and customers have been ordered to shelter in place.
Bay City News contributed significantly to this report
