Mother of man shot dead by San Francisco officers sues

A civil rights attorney plans to file a federal lawsuit on behalf of the family of 26-year-old San Francisco resident Mario Woods, who was killed last week when five San Francisco police officers responding to a reported stabbing opened fire. Most of the protesters were high school students who walked out of class, according to local media.

“KQED presented a video that’s been displayed, and in that video it’s pretty clear that the shots occurred before he in fact – Mario – raised his hand”, Burris said, “indicating that the statements given by the police chief were clearly bogus, and were designed clearly to cover for the officers”.

Woods was shot December 2 after refusing police commands to drop an 8-inch knife.

At least 100 students and other activists marched on San Francisco City Hall Friday afternoon to protest the shooting death of a young black man by police last week.

Below is the third video from a different angle, obtained by Burris’s office from a “confidential source”. Police say he was a suspect in a stabbing earlier that day and refused to drop a small knife when confronted by a line of officers.

Suhr said publicly that the department is deploying riot shields to officers after the shooting, and firing range protocols have changed to emphasize alternatives to deadly force.

“None of the videos show Mr. Woods creating an imminent threat to anyone prior to being riddled with bullets from head to toe”, it said. Suhr also said the department is reviewing its “use-of-force” policies and procedures and called on the police commission to arm the department with stun guns.

Burris said that because the evidence contradicts what Suhr said, his credibility is being called into question and that the community deserves better. An officer can be seen cutting off Woods’ path on the sidewalk moments before police open fire. Richard also noted that, while Woods was “struggling with a lot of issues”, he had been out of prison for only about four months and was poised to begin a new job with UPS.

His mother Gwendolyn Woods, however, believes that he was was turning his life around. “I’m sort of insulted by the Chief’s comments that he would make, a comment to justify and support the police officers’ conduct so quickly”, Burris said. “The department will follow up on everything that Mr. Burris spoke to at his press conference”.

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