SandyMaloneSan Francisco, CA – Seven San Francisco police officers fired their handguns and rifles 65 times at a murder suspect inside an RV on Feb. 17, after he shot at them twice. Nobody was hit (video below).
The San Francisco police officials gave a presentation, and released bodycam video from seven officers, at a Town Hall meeting on Feb. 27.
In the summary posted on the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Facebook page, police said the incident began when officers responded to a call for gunshots heard the area of Stanyan Street and Oak Street on Feb. 16 at 6:29 p.m.
Responding officers found two gunshot victims in Panhandle Park, and began to render first aid. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim was transported to a nearby hospital, according to the summary.
Shortly thereafter, officers were flagged down by a carjacking victim. After investigating, police realized they were looking for the same suspect in the carjacking and the earlier shootings.
The suspect was identified as convicted felon Joel Armstrong, and the lookout information was broadcast department-wide.
Shortly after midnight, San Francisco Police located the stolen vehicle parked behind an RV.
Bodycam video showed one officer approached the RV and peeked in the lit window on the camper’s door.
Then he turned and ran back to tell the other officers on the scene that he’d seen Armstrong lying down inside the RV.
At that point, the officers began staging to arrest the suspect. The moved a police vehicle to block in the RV, and got out ballistic shields and tools to open the RV’s doors.
When they were ready, the videos showed that police made the announcement to come out of the RV multiple times over the public address system of a police vehicle.
The door of the RV opened, and three people and a dog exited, but Armstrong stayed in the RV, the video showed.
Police ordered Armstrong out of the RV numerous additional times and advised him “don’t be stupid,” but he ignored them, and then started shooting.
Preliminary evidence showed that Armstrong fired two shots from his weapon at officers, before the seven officers on the scene responded with a volley of 65 bullets from handguns and AR-15s, police said.
The bodycam video showed officers reacting to the initial sound of gunfire from within the RV.
Officers backed away quickly, and the video showed that one officer tripped and fell over the curb while firing. Another officer, walking backward, tripped, and fell over him.
Neither officer stopped firing as they scrambled to get back up.
At that point, officers backed away from the RV and called in hostage negotiators, and the San Francisco Police Department’s (SFPD) tactical unit.
Police were able to talk Armstrong out of the RV at about 2:15 a.m. on Feb. 17.
He was taken into custody, and officers found a 9mm pistol inside the RV, police said.
Authorities said no one was injured in the shooting.
Armstrong was charged with one count of murder, eight counts of attempted murder, carjacking, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharge of a firearm, and receiving stolen property, police said.
SFPD’s homicide unit was investigating the murder, and the district attorney’s office and the Department of Police Accountability were investigating the officer-involved shooting.
You can see the shooting in the video below: