An assailant opened fire on a light rail train in San Francisco on Wednesday morning, killing one person in an argument and injuring a b...
An assailant opened fire on a light rail train in San Francisco on Wednesday morning, killing one person in an argument and injuring a bystander before fleeing the train, authorities said.
The San Francisco Police Department received a call around 10 a.m. about a shooting at the Forest Hill station of the Muni subway, the city’s public rail system, officer Kathryn Winters told reporters on Wednesday. When officers arrived they found the train had left the station and was heading towards Castro Station, one stop northeast of Forest Hill Station, Officer Winters said.
“Most of the people on the train got off the train quickly,” Constable Winters said, adding that police were unsure how crowded the train or station was at the time of the shooting.
When police arrived at Castro’s station, they found two victims, Officer Winters said. The San Francisco Fire Department said in a statement Wednesday that it treated two victims “with penetrating injuries” at the station.
One victim died at the scene, despite emergency treatment from police and rescuers, and another victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Officer Winters said. . San Francisco District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar said the Twitter that the attacker fled the train at Castro station.
The shooting happened as the train was leaving Forest Hill station, Ms Melgar said in a later statement, citing police. The attacker and a victim “were in a heated verbal argument”, she said, and witnesses heard three or four gunshots. One person was killed and a bystander was taken to hospital with a knee injury.
“This appears to be an isolated incident,” Constable Winters told reporters at the scene, adding that no arrests had been made.
The police department said in a statement that the shooting did not appear to have targeted the LGBTQ community or have any connection to Pride events taking place in the city this week.
The department did not know if there was a relationship between the shooter and the victims, Officer Winters said.
The San Francisco Emergency Management Department told residents to avoid the area due to police activity.
Police were working to recover security video recorded at the station, Constable Winters said.
The shooting occurred weeks after voters in San Francisco recalled the city’s progressive attorney, Chesa Boudinin part because of perceptions that crime in the city was on the rise.
The city faces persistent property crime, particularly burglaries and car break-ins, but police department data shows that many other types of crime, including homicides, have remained flat or declined for the pandemic.
COMMENTS