The shooting of 26-year-old San Francisco resident Mario Woods has now sparked a federal investigation into the San Francisco Police Department. Woods was shot by multiple officers on December 2, 2015 and as of today San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee has asked for a federal investigation following the death of the young man.
“In the past few weeks, our city has grappled with a crisis all too common in so many other American cities — the dissolution of trust between communities of color and law enforcement — following the death of a young black man shot and killed by police officers,” Lee said in a letter addressed to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
According to CNN, San Francisco police released a statement that “laid out their version of events, saying officers first confronted Woods because a witness identified him as the attacker in a stabbing earlier in the afternoon of December 2nd. Police said Woods refused numerous demands to drop a knife and was a danger to others.”
Viral video revealed the police used excessive force to kill the suspect and the video launched a string of protests that called for the mayor to step down and indictments of the cops involved.
San Francisco protesters brought more awareness about the event by staging protests in Super Bowl City, or the “fan village,” this past Saturday. The area will host Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, Feb. 7.
“We want to throw our doors open, inviting transparency and accountability. We seek answers, not just to the facts of Mr. Wood’s case, but also answers about how as a police department and a city we can build deeper, stronger trust between law enforcement and the communities they’re sworn to protect,” Lee said.
