San Francisco police shot an unarmed Black woman Thursday morning after a car chase involving an alleged stolen vehicle.
A 27-year-old woman was reportedly behind the wheel of a stolen car. Officers tried to pull the woman from the vehicle, and at some point an officer fired one shot, striking the suspect in the torso area, according to the New York Daily News.
Officers were on a “stolen vehicle and break-in abatement” patrol in Bayview when they spotted the vehicle. According to a report from the Daily News, the driver took off as soon as she saw officers approaching. She wrecked the car about 100 feet from the initial starting point.
Police told the San Francisco Chronicle that the woman was pronounced dead at a local hospital, was unarmed and not driving toward the officers.
Acting SFPD Chief Toney Chaplin
Following intense scrutiny, SFPD chief Greg Suhr resigned after giving a news conference about the details of the shooting. He will be replaced by Black officer, Deputy Chief Toney Chaplin.
The SFPD was criticized for the shooting of 26-year-old Black man Mario Woods last year. That shooting prompted a federal investigation into the city’s police department.
Mayor Ed Lee who called for Chief Suhr’s resignation stated during a news conference on Thursday, “The past several months have shaken and divided our city, and tensions between law enforcement and communities of color that have simmered for too many years have come into full view.”
