Investigators working to identify suspect killed in BART officer involved shooting

BART to take lead in communications

Investigators say they will work through the night to determine the identity of the suspect whom a BART officer shot and killed Sunday evening after the suspect behaved aggressively with a bottle and knife when the officer and his partner met the suspect on the platform of the Civic Center/UN Plaza BART Station.

At this point police know little about the suspect except that they believe he is a white man between 30 and 50-years-old and was wearing a tie-dyed tee-shirt and military-style fatigue pants at the time of the incident.

BART is continuing to urge witnesses to contact investigators with whatever information they have by calling the BART Police Department’s criminal investigations division at (510) 464-7040 or (877) 679-7000 ext 7040.

This is the sixth on-duty officer-involved shooting involving injury or death in BART’s 40-year history.

Ongoing Investigation
The San Francisco Police Department has taken the lead in the criminal investigation of the shooting. BART Police will conduct its own internal administrative investigation. The SFPD and BART have agreed that BART will release all public information about the case, which is why SFPD will continue to refer all public inquiries to BART.  As new information becomes available, the BART Communications Department will release the information to the public.

What Happened
The officer-involved shooting happened not long after BART Police dispatchers received a call of a drunk man who was unsteady on his feet and in danger of falling off the platform at the Civic Center/UN Plaza Station around 9:30 pm Sunday. By 9:45pm two BART officers had arrived on the platform. When the officers made contact with the suspect, investigators believe the suspect used a bottle and a knife as weapons and behaved aggressively. About one-minute after the officers arrived, they reported shooting the suspect.

One police officer received minor injuries during the incident. BART police investigators later say they found glass from what appears to be a shattered bottle and knives at the scene.

Paramedics took the individual to the hospital where medical personnel pronounced him dead about an hour later.
 
About the Officers
The two officers involved in the shooting are White and Asian. The California Peace Officers Bill of Rights prevents BART from releasing the names of the officers. The officers are now on administrative leave per routine protocol.