This video of the shooting was uploaded to YouTube Jan. 5, 2010.
This of a press conference with San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon was uploaded to YouTube Jan. 5, 2010.
A man in a wheelchair was shot twice in the groin by San Francisco police outside a mental health facility Tuesday.
A cellphone video uploaded to YouTube Wednesday showed four plainclothes and two uniformed officers surrounding the wheelchair-bound man. He was reportedly armed with a knife and a chunk of concrete.
Police said that the suspect stabbed one cop in the shoulder and slashed tires on a city vehicle.
San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon explained at a press conference Wednesday that an attempt to subdue the man with a beanbag shotgun had no effect.
In the video, the man can be seen throwing the knife aside and then being shot twice by the cops.
“What the fuck?” a witness can be heard asking. “That was unnecessary.”
Gascon said that both the policeman and the suspect were in stable condition.
“I want to make sure we put the video in context,” the police chief said, defending the officers. “We have an individual acting violently. He had a knife. One of the officers has been stabbed.”
KQED-FM confirmed that two of the officers have been placed on administrative leave. Police declined to identify the officers or the suspect.
The incident comes just a week after San Francisco police were seen shooting another resident brandishing a knife.
Vinh Bui, 46, was killed by police responding to a call about a stabbing last Wednesday. Police said the suspect had a history of mental illness.
The stabbing victim was described as “very lightly injured.”
In light of the Tuesday shooting, Gascon renewed the call for San Francisco police to be equipped with Tasers.
“A Taser more than likely would have ended this scenario, probably at the earlier stages,” he said. “But we don’t have a Taser.”
By David Edwards
Thursday, January 6th, 2011 — 2:40 pm
Source: The Raw Story