Six Wounded in Gunfire at Cannabis Gathering in San Francisco's Bayview District
Police say six people were hurt in a Tuesday evening shooting at a marijuana event near 3rd Street and Burke Avenue, and a separate gunman later fired shots outside San Francisco General Hospital.
By Naledi Dlamini ·
Six people were wounded Tuesday evening when shots were fired at a marijuana event in San Francisco's Bayview District, according to San Francisco police.
The gunfire erupted at about 5:45 p.m. in a row of warehouses near 3rd Street and Burke Avenue, while a large crowd was at the gathering. By Wednesday, marijuana buds and bloodstains could still be seen on the ground at the site.
Police spokesman Officer Robert Rueca described a chaotic scene. "That made for a volatile situation with a lot of confusion, a lot of people running for their lives," he said.
Paramedics took one gunshot victim to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Four other victims arrived at the same hospital on their own, and a sixth ended up at Highland Hospital in Oakland. Rueca said the circumstances that led to the shooting remain under investigation.
The disorder spread to the hospital. As officers at San Francisco General were securing the area, a man fired a gun at people gathered there. "Officers that were on scene at the hospital observed a male suspect shoot a firearm," Rueca said. No one was injured.
Police arrested 35-year-old Darius Kittles on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and weapons violations. Rueca said it is not clear whether the hospital shooting was connected to the one on Burke Avenue.
Matt Boschetto and his wife run an e-commerce flower business in the Burke Avenue complex. He said the shooting added to existing worries about operating in the area. "There are times, not just now but in the past, where we felt unsafe and it's just something it kind of really hammers in that this area needs more attention," he said.
Boschetto shared a photo showing smeared blood and an evidence marker on a Toyota Sienna minivan belonging to Self-help for the Elderly, an organization that delivers meals to homes. On Wednesday, crews from the group were cleaning the parking lot.
The Bayview has seen at least two homicides in recent months, along with other criminal activity. Community leader Theo Ellington was picking up his children when the latest violence broke out. "Things like this happen when there's a lack of funding, there's a lack of opportunity, there's a lack of hope," he said. "So unfortunately, we are sitting here faced with another shooting."
Boschetto echoed that view, calling the shooting "a shame" and saying he hopes it becomes "a catalyst to get more attention to resources to this area."
Source: KTVU FOX 2 (Oakland)
