Mass shooting unnerves San Francisco Mission District residents
SAN FRANCISCO -- On Friday night, San Francisco's Mission District became the latest scene of mass gun violence where nine people were shot on a sidewalk during a neighborhood block party.
Police said they will likely all survive but, in the morning light, residents wondered how much their neighborhood -- and the city itself -- may be changing.
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It around 9 p.m. Friday night when the Mission District neighborhood at 24th and Treat was painted with the red and blue of police lights.
"It's confirmed that there are nine victims that were struck by gunfire and they are all expected to survive," said SFPD spokesperson Officer Eve Laokwansanthitaya.
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Police said some people attending a street party outside a business called Dying Breed were targeted, perhaps by a lone gunman. The store was hosting its 6th anniversary with a block party, according to its Instagram account.
The victims were men ranging from 22 to 35 years old and one 19-year-old woman. Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital said one of the victims remained in critical condition as of Saturday afternoon. Another was said to be in serious condition, four were in fair condition and three had already been discharged.
UPDATE: 4 San Francisco Mission District mass shooting victims still hospitalized, 1 critical
Santiago Lerma, an aide to San Francisco supervisor Hillary Ronen, came to the area after the shooting.
"Very concerning, obviously, about the situation and it's very scary," Lerma said. "But this is an outlier. This is a very safe neighborhood, generally."
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Many people think of the area as a place of relative peace. That's why resident Zora Arum was so shocked by the number of people injured.
"I mean, I don't think it is reflective of the neighborhood. I think it's the most beautiful community. People are so kind here," Arum said. "I'm not sure who did this or what happened exactly but I definitely don't feel like it reflects the character of the neighborhood in any way."
The manager of Maurice's Corner Liquor Muthana Shaibi said he ran toward the back of his store when he heard the gunfire.
"I thought it was fireworks, cause they were playing loud music," said Shaibi. "I didn't hear the gun shots like really loudly."
Witnesses shared video of the aftermath, which showed paramedics, firefighters and officers tending to victims on the sidewalk.
"It felt terrifying because you know for a thing to happen like that it was just people having fun outside and stuff and out of nowhere just hearing gunshots," he added.
Shaibi said business was slower than usual Saturday following the shooting.
"We gotta be more careful now with these parties going on. And we noticed that if things happen like that everyone should take cover," he said. "Hopefully we get more protection on the weekends, safety."
On Saturday, Mayor London Breed released a brief statement on Twitter about the shooting, saying the incident raised "questions and concerns in the community." However, in an interview later that day she also insisted it doesn't really match the character of the city.
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"Well, nine people, that's a lot, of course," she said. "And I think what we're seeing in San Francisco, when we look at our data, a lot of the violent crime, we've seen the numbers decline considerably. So, this is definitely heartbreaking and challenging, not just for the Mission community but for our city as a whole."
SFPD Chief Bill Scott said on Twitter Saturday the department will have a visible police presence here in the Mission where the mass shooting happened.
Cynthia Carrillo wasn't looking at data. She only sees the way her neighborhood is changing and it scares her.
"I feel like nothing's getting better, nothing's being done! They really need to force something to be done because it's not getting better. It's not. What's happening to the whole of San Francisco? It was never like this, never like this. Something's gotten out of control," Carrillo said. "I think it's a lot of the way -- the mentalities of these children growing up now. It's changed completely and they've got anger inside them, hatred inside them."
Of course, it's hard to get precise data on anger and hate. That's why things like this can spring up any time or anywhere. And it can instantly change the perception of a neighborhood, even to those who live there every day.
Betty Yu contributed to this report.
