Coroner Identifies Man Fatally Shot By Police At San Francisco Int'l Airport
SAN FRANCISCO INT'L AIRPORT (CBS SF) – The San Mateo County Coroner's Office has identified a man killed by San Francisco police last week at San Francisco International Airport as Nelson Szeto.
Szeto, a 37-year-old transient, died on Thursday after a confrontation with police officers near the SFO BART station entrance at the airport's International Terminal.
The shooting unfolded after police received multiple calls regarding a suspicious person armed near the airport's International Terminal. Once at the scene, officers tried to contact Szeto and used non-lethal methods to try to subdue him.
However, Szeto allegedly advanced toward officers, resulting in the shooting by police. Szeto was pronounced dead at the scene.
A bystander at the scene suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
The shooting is being investigated by several different agencies, including the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, the San Francisco Police Department's Internal Affairs Division, the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability, and the San Mateo County Coroner's Office.
In addition, the California Department of Justice will conduct an investigation and independent review of the shooting after Attorney General Rob Bonta's office said the man, who was described as armed, possessed an airsoft-type replica pistol.
Bonta announced the shooting triggered an state investigation pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506, which requires the DOJ to investigate "incidents of an officer-involved shooting resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian," that is, anyone not in possession of a deadly weapon.
According to the statute, while all firearms and BB/pellet guns – even if unloaded or inoperable – are considered deadly weapons, replica firearms are not.
"We can confirm that preliminary investigation indicates that the decedent appeared to have been in possession of an airsoft gun, which is considered a replica gun," the attorney general's office told KPIX 5 last week.
San Francisco police are expected to hold a town hall meeting in the coming days to release more details about the shooting.
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