Life in prison for 2 convicted in deadly gang shootout at SF Fillmore Heritage Center
SAN FRANCISCO – Two men were sentenced on Tuesday to life in federal prison for a murder stemming from a shootout in front of the Fillmore Heritage Center in San Francisco, U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds announced.
Robert Manning, 31, and Jamare Coats, 29, were members of the Mac Block street gang in San Francisco's Western Addition. On the evening of March 23, 2019, both men engaged in a shootout in front of the center amid a crowded sidewalk which killed a young man and wounded four bystanders.
According to the Department of Justice, on the night of the murder, Manning and Coats and other Mac Block gang members and associates were inside the Heritage Center where a funeral repass was taking place.
The victim "acted disrespectfully" toward them, the DOJ said, and brandished a firearm, threatening Mac Block members and associates. Manning, Coats and one other person went to their cars and got guns. Manning grabbed an automatic Glock and provided an associate with a semi-automatic pistol.
Once back at the funeral, Manning forcefully pushed himself toward the victim while peacemakers at the scene tried to hold him back. Manning, Coats and an associate surrounded the victim, who fired a shot from his gun. The associate traded gunfire with the victim. When the victim fell to the ground, the associate fled. Coats then began shooting at the victim, firing four shots in quick succession, pausing for several seconds, and then firing two more times.
The young man died and a person caught in the crossfire is now paralyzed from the waist down, the DOJ said. Three other innocent people were shot, some of which provided victim impact statements at the sentencing, illustrating that though they survived the shooting, it dramatically changed their lives and that of their families.
Coats was convicted of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering, also known as a VICAR murder, and Manning was convicted of aiding and abetting the VICAR murder. Both were facing life in prison, which they received, along with ten years each for being felons in possession of firearms.