Transcripts For SFGTV Police Online Town Hall 20240713

Hope to accomplish in this town ha hall. First and foremost, tonight is about transparency and educating the public in our officerinvolved shootings, investigations, and protocols. It is our intent to release facts and protocol in a noninvasive way. Next, there was body worn capture footage that captured the incident. But for those of you tonight that are not here with San Francisco Police Department general order 10. 11, it states in part, it is the goal and intent of the San Francisco Police Department to release Body Worn Camera footage to the extent possible unless it would a jeopardize the safety of the officer involved in the investigation, jeopardize the safety of any parties involved in the investigation. In this case, based on the assessment of the standards, we have determined that it is appropriate to release Body Worn Camera footage of this incident. Id like to remind everyone that Video Evidence is only a portion of evidence to consider when making both legal and administrative conclusions on officerinvolved shootings. While video recordings obtained provide an objective record of the recorded event, it is understood that video recordings provide a limited perspective. In fact, there are many other motives to consider, including witness statements and forensic analysis, to name a few. We are releasing video footage at this point in fact investigation for transparency and not to draw conclusions, and this level of transparency is consistent with californias recently passed transparency bill, legislation 1041. All of this information, including the video footage will be posted on the San Francisco Police Department website at sfpolice departme in this case, we have conducted a Safety Assessment and have not discovered any safety concerns. Therefore, the name of the officer will be released later in this presentation by commander Robert Osullivan. Next, i would like to explain the investigative process for officerinvolved shootings. Each agencys investigation is independent. First, immediately after an officerinvolved shooting occurs, representatives from the San Francisco Police Department Investigative Services detail, representatives from the District Attorneys Office of independent investigation, also known as i. I. D. , and representatives from the department of police accountability, also known as d. P. A. , are all notified. All notified agencies send the appropriate representatives to respond to the scene to conduct their representative independent investigations. There are potentially five investigative processes in an officerinvolved shooting investigation involving an off duty San Francisco Police Officer. The first process is that of the San Francisco District Attorneys Office, the Investigative Division or i. I. D. Based on their independent investigation and review, the District Attorney of San Francisco will make the final decision as to whether the involved officers actions comply with the laws of the state of california. The second investigative process is that of the sfpd investigative process. I. S. D. Is the Department Responsible for the underlying criminal activity. In this case, the underlying criminal activity involved Armed Robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. The last investigation is conducted by internal affairs. Internal affairs conducted an administrative investigation to determine if the involved officers met the requirements of sfpd policy. The Investigative Services detail and internal Affairs Investigation maintains a legal fire wall to comply with legal standards and requirements. The fourth investigative process is with the department of police accountability. The d. P. A. Is mandated by ballot measure d of june 2016 to investigate all San Francisco Police Department incidents in which an sfpd officer discharges a weapon which results in injury or death. Although this incident did not result in death from the off the record recover dischaurgeing from the involved officer discharging his gun, the medical examiner has the duty of collecting evidence from those incidents where an officerinvolved shooting results in the death of an individual. Id like to state that the medical examiners investigation was not required in this investigation because there was no loss of life. Now, commander Robert Osullivan will discuss the facts of this incident, including the facts you will see shortly from Video Evidence. We will then allow for time for members of the public to call in and make Public Comment in this virtual town hall. Thank you. Good evening. As mentioned, my name is Robert Osullivan. Im the officer assigned to the departments Risk Management office. Today, i will provide information on the officerinvolve shooting that take place on april 21, 2020. My report will include information on events that happened that day, as well as 911 audio, dispatch audio, and surveillance and camera video. I will now read some prepared remarks. The officer involved shooting that occurred on april 21, 2020 was preceded by an incident in which the suspect committed an aggravated assault in the Central Police district of San Francisco. The aggravated assault incident included in close proximity to the officer involved shooting both in location and time. The physical description of the suspect and weapon used in both incidents also closely matched. The information provided today regarding these events is based on a preliminary review of Body Worn Camera and statements of interviews and evidence collected to this point. The following is a summary of events as they are understood as of today, thursday, april 30, 2020. On tuesday, april 21, 2020, at 5 32 a. M. , the San Francisco department of emergency management, d. E. M. , received a 911 called regarding an aggravated assault and possible robbery about this incident. Officered responded to a priority call regarding a report of a male subject who had instruct the victim with a wooden board. At the time of the occurrence, the victim was walking his dog when he was struck multiple times by the suspect who waited in the alcove of a building. A description of the suspect was provided by the 911 caller to the dispatcher, and that description is as follows an African American gentleman with braids and about 6 feet or so, maybe 170 or 180 pounds. Hes wearing a white sweatshirt, whitetype shirt, and a lighter pair of pants. He has a board with him. Central direction officers were district officers responded located the crime scene and summoned emergency medical aid for the victim. Officers were informed that the suspect had fled on foot after the attack. The victim initially believed his phone had been taken during the incident but later located it near the scene. At 6 36 a. M. , approximately one hour after the initial aggravated assault call, d. E. M. Received a 911 call from the pier hotel, which is located at 540 jones street. The caller stated the following we need the police to come to the pier hotel quick. Theres a guy in here. Hes waving knives at people and all kinds of stuff. He wont leave the building. Hes locked himself behind the door and keeps swinging a bloody blood. I seen him. I dont know what it is, but he keeps reaching for it, but he keeps swinging the twobyfour. The caller described the subject as a light skinned slim African American male with dreads, in his late 20s or early 30s, 59, wearing a red and white shirt. The caller said, ive got to get off the phone. He looks like hes going to hit my coworker. The phone then disconnected. D. E. M. Received the call at 6 36. Tenderloin officers were dispatched at 6 39 and arrived at 6 43. While the officers were en route to this incident, the dispatcher advised them of the former incidents in the central, jones and geary that had a similar, possibly same suspect description, with the twobyfour. Officers arrived at the hotel at 6 43 am m. , and entered the lobby, where they observed a man later identified as Thomas Obannon in the Clerks Office. At this time, they began speaking to mr. Obannon in a space in the plexiglass enclosure. For the next several minutes, officers attempted to call mr. Obannon. During this time, he refused officers requests to place his hands in the break in the plexi glass for cuffing. The officer noticed that mr. Obannon continuously glanced to the less Lethal Weapon that he was holding. The officer explained that it was a bean bag gun, and it was lesser force, and it was because mr. Obannon had a weapon. Mr. Obannon made such statements at this time as i aint going back, i aint going to hurt no one, and there aint going to be no peace. A sergeant took over contact with mr. Obannon and attempted to persuade him to surrender peacefully. Mr. Yo bannon then began to alternately pace in the room and sit in the chair. Then, a paramedic began to speak with mr. Obannon. She explained that she was not a Police Officer, and she wanted to provide medical care to mr. Obannon. She wanted him to leave the room so she could provide medical care to him. Mr. Obannon would not leave the room. 7 25, sfpd officers resumed speaking with mr. Obannon. Mr. Obannon became agitated, picking up the wooden board, again holding it diagonally across his body. At 7 25 a. M. , a woman who identified herself as a case manager attempted to speak with mr. Oban an. The case manager asked him to pass the board through the plexi glass window several times and mr. Obannon refused. The case manager was later identified to be an employee of the tender line housing clinic. The case manager continued to try to speak with mr. Obannon for several minutes. Mr. Obannon alternated speaking with the case manager and striking the wall and window with the board. He then thrust the wooden board against the plexi glass opening and slammed it against the rail of the opening. Due to this, the case manager could not continue safely speaking to mr. Obannon. Officers again began to speak with mr. Obannon. At 7 52, sfpd had been on scene for 1 09. Officers formulated a plan and issued verbal commands to mr. Obannon as they attempted to take him into custody. Mr. Obannon placed the board over his head in a striking motion. Mr. Obannon then lost control of the board and failed to comply with officers directives. At this time, officers in the lobby deployed o. C. Spray. Pepper extraction is commonly referred to as pepper spray and less lethal force via a bean bag gun through the plexi glass window. Mr. Obannon later obtained an item in his hand, later identified as a screwdriver and exited the room while Still Holding the item in his lefthand. As officers exited onto the sidewalk, one of the exiting officers tripped and fell onto his stomach. The officer quickly stood and began running from mr. Obannon, who continued to pursue quickly behind him. Mr. Obannon then attempted to overtake him. From the body worn cam, it appears that the officer discharged his firearm three times. Mr. Obannon fled south on jones street then east on ellis street, and officers pursued on foot. Mr. Obannon ran into glide Memorial Church. Mr. Oban non stopped in the lobby while he brandished the screwdriver. He ignored officers repeated requests to get on the ground. Mr. Obannon turned and ran through an open stairwell, running to the basement. The door closed and locked behind him, preventing the officers from pursuing down the stairway. Officers attempted to descend a separate stairway a short time later. At this time, mr. Obannon opened a fire extinguisher, locked himself in the basement with two kitchen knives. Officers established a a perimeter around glide Memorial Church. The Hostage Negotiation Team arrived on scene and continued to negotiate the hostage surrender of mr. Obannon for 11 hours. Officers planned and executed the rescue of an employee who was sheltered in a basement room adjacent to where mr. Obannon was located. Officers made contact with the family of mr. Obannon who responded to the scene and provided assistance during this incident. Near the end of the incident, mr. Obannon ceased negotiations and communications with hostage negotiation testimony members. Officers then located mr. Obannon in the basement, where they used less lethal force to take him into custody. It was determined that mr. Obannon was not struck by gun fire. Mr. Obannon was treated for nonlife threatening injuries at zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where he was hospitaled for preexisting medical conditions unrelated to this incident. Evidence. Evidence was located at the incident scene of the officerinvolved shooting at well as glide Memorial Church. Evidence included a wooden blood with what appeared to be blood on it, two fire extinguishers, and several large kitchen knives. Video. Video was recovered from multiple sources, including approximately 180 Body Worn Camera videos, ten private surveillance videos, and an additional video is being sought by our investigators. Witnesses. Witnesses to the officerinvolved shooting have been interviewed, and independent witnesses to the preliminary crimes have been located and also interviewed. Additional witnesses are being sought by investigators. The suspect. The San Francisco District Attorneys Office has filed charges against mr. Obannon on april 23, 2020. The charges consist of the following. One count of 245a1 of the california penal code, assault with a deadly weapon. One count of 245a4 of the california penal code, assault likely to result in graeat bodily injuried. Theyve also filed two enforcements of the california penal code. The officer involved in this incident is jordan townsend, officer 2457. He is a veteran of the Police Department. In according to officer policy, all members involved in a shooting are immediately placed on paid administrative leave. As the chief mentioned previously, there are additional investigations. They are as follows. The independent Investigations Bureau of the San Francisco District Attorneys Office and the San Francisco Police Department Investigative Services detail are conducting an investigation into this incident. The sfpd internal Affairs Division is also conducting an investigation administrative in nature. Investigators are in the process of determining if any other related incidents occurred in this area prior to the officerinvolved shooting. And finally, mr. Obannon is currently under investigation for four vandalism and burglary incidents that occurred in the morning of tuesday, april 21 prior to the incident on jones street. At this time, we are going to transition to the playing of 911 calls, dispatch tape, and the playing of both Body Worn Camera and surveillance video. Prior to doing so, i am going to read a statement. You are about to see relevant video footage and other evidence related to this case so you can have a better underi understanding of what occurred right now. We are still in the early stages of an investigation that can take months to complete, and we understand that conditions may change as evidence is collected and reviewed. We do not draw any conclusions as to whether the officers acted in compliance and in policy with the law until the investigation is complete. A word of caution. The images and words hear may be disturbing. When the Police Officer tries to prevent an attack, there may be Strong Language used. Viewer discretion is advised, especially for Young Children and sensitive viewers. We encourage those who need help to contact the city of San Francisco Public Health crisis line at 4159783800. We will now play a 911 call. This audio was provided to the San Francisco Police Department from the San Francisco department of management. The audio is the 911 call from the aggravated assault incident reported on april 21, 2020. This incident occurred on the 600 block of post street. Please note, the victims voice has been changed to protect his safety. San francisco 911. What is your emergency. Yes. [bleep]. Im calling from my cell phone number, and i was walking down first street towards downtown, and i was i told you the block. Any ways, i was attacked by an African American gentleman with braids, and hes about 6 feet or so, maybe 170, 180 pounds. He had a [inaudible] no. Okay. Where are you, sir . Im [inaudible] okay. Whats your address . My address is [bleep]. And what room or apartment are you in . [bleep]. Im headed out with my dad at the time. Okay. Well, what do you want to do . Do you want to speak with the officers . Yes, i would. And ill have to file a complaint. I know. What do you want to do . Right now, im going down to okay. Well, we dont make appointments, so do you want to go get your dog and call me back . All right. All right. Is that what you want to do . Yes. Do you need an ambulance . I dont know i dont need an ambulance. Ive just got a bloody nose. Okay. So youre [bleep] now . No, im walking towards downtown, and i am looking for the dfor i am on post, and im looking for the dog. Youre on post where . Walking towards [inaudible] i think it was the next block. Okay. When you see the officers, flag them down, okay . I will. Okay. Do you remember what this guy had on . What he was wearing . No yes, i do. Hes wearing white in front of [inaudible] he was clean. Sir, what was he wearing . He was wearing a white what . He was wearing a whitetype shirt, and hes standing right down the street. The next building down is the u. S. Hotel. The u. S. Hotel . 737. Okay. And where are you now . Were by farm table, kind of across the street and down from him. Hes standing there with a board. All right. When you see the officers, [bleep], flag them down. All right. Thank you. We will now play a second 911 call, which was also provided by the San Francisco department of emergency management. The call is from the pierre hotel, where the subject was reported to be waving a wooden board. The call was received at 6 36 a. M. San francisco 911. Whats the exact location of the emergency . 940 jones street no, 540 jones street. We need you to come to the pierre hotel quick. Theres a guy in here. Hes waving a knife and all kind of stuff at people, and you wont leave the building. Okay. Whats your name . [bleep]. He locked hisself behind the door, and he keeps swinging a weapon and a twobyfour. Wait, wait, wait. Is it a knife or a twobyfour . I dont know, but he keeps swinging something and a twobyfour. He wont leave, and hes locked hisself on here. Okay. [inaudible] what does he look like . White . Black . Asian. Hes light skinned, with dreads. Okay. Is he black . Yeah, hes light skinned with dreads. How old is he . Maybe late 30s, early 40s. How tall is he . 59. How heavy . Hes not leaving, so i need somebody here immediately. Yeah, ive got them on their way, but is he thin, medium, heavy . Thin. What is he wearing . Red shirt. Do you know what color pants he has on . Hold on. Its a light shirt with blue jeans. White shirt . Yeah. White shirt with blue jeans . Yeah. Did you actually see the knife or not . I didnt see the knife. Did you see him reaching for something . Yeah, the residents told me they seen it. Okay. Hold on. And you also saw him reaching for something thats not the twobyfour . Yeah. And you said the twobyfour is bloody . Yeah. Like, theres a lot of blood on it . Yes. Okay. Whats your phone number . [bleep] okay. And hold on one second. What is he doing right now . Hes not leaving. Hes locked in there, going through stuff. Let me ask you a protocol question. Have you or anyone in that location been suspected or confirmed of having coronavirus . No. Okay. Do you or someone else at this location have flulike symptoms . No. And you wouldnt be able to speak for that person waving the twobyfour around them . Uh, no. Yeah, ive got to get off the phone because he looks like hes going to hit my coworkers. Okay. Is he in the same room . No, hes trying to open the door. Which door is he trying to open . The following audio is a recording of a d. E. M. Dispatcher broadcasting information to officers who are en route to 540 jones street. Be advised earlier there was a 594 and a 211 in the central jones and geary, possibility of a suspect description of a gentleman with a twobyfour. [inaudible] ill advise them. The next six videos are from one of the first officers to arrive on scene on jones street. One of six. In the video, officers are seen making contact with mr. Obannon, who is inside of the enclosed Clerks Office. [inaudible] sir, what are you doing . Are you going to cooperate . Can we all get away from the lobby . Sir, can we talk peacefully without whats on your waist . [inaudible] okay, well, heres the deal. We dont want to do anything we have to do today if youve got weapons. Do you have weapons on you, bro . Are we going to do this peacefully, like adults . What i want to do is can you put your hands outside peacefully so i can handcuff you and walk you out. Whats on your hands . [inaudible] blood . [inaudible] whose blood . Okay. Im going to glove up. [inaudible] dont do anything silly, all right . Were not here hey, bud, do you have a knife on you . No. You dont have a knife . No. Can you lift up your tshirt for me . Yeah, lift up your tshirt so i can see. All right. All right. Where are you bleeding from . Okay. Turnaround, put your hands behind your back so i can handcuff you. Well get you an ambulance so you can get all checked out. How does that sound . Good, man. Good. Whats your name . Sir, talk to me. Whats your name . Body worn camera two of six. In the video, officers are overheard speaking with mr. Obannon and attempting to safely handcuff him through the document opening in the Clerks Office. An officer requests that additional officers respond to 540 jones street as well as an ambulance. Come on. Come out here where i can handcuff them and well come out here safely. Put your hands up. Youre not in trouble. We dont know whats going on. All we know is theres a guy bleeding with a piece of wood. Let us help you. [inaudible] dont force me to do things i dont want to do. Let me put you in handcuffs. [inaudible] the handcuffs are for our safety and your safety. Youre not under arrest. [inaudible] were trying to make this a peaceful resolution, so are you going to help us out . Sorry. If you come out, youre going to leave your hands where we can see them and on top of your head. [inaudible] so youre not going to come out . Suspect is not being very cooperative. Hes locked in the front desk. [inaudible] hes also covered in blood. [inaudible] yeah, you should glove up. Sir Body Worn Camera three of six. In the video, the officers speak with mr. Obannon, who is seen throughout the video holding the wooden board. Officers ask him to put the board down and observe that his hand is bleeding. Yeah, you should glove up. Sir, i think ive been very reasonable. Please put the board down. [inaudible] why . Why are you so angry . Why are you so angry . [inaudible] can you not . [inaudible] well, ive asked you for a peaceful resolution, and you do not want to cooperate with had h he with me. You did not want to come out. Hes still refusing to coopera cooperate. [inaudible] going back where . Im just trying to get you to go to the hospital. Whats wrong, man . You havent even told me whats wrong. Were just trying to help you, man. Body worn camera four of 6. In the segment, an sfpd sergeant is seen attempting to speak with mr. Obannon and offering him help and medical assistance. [inaudible] how can we help you today . Is there anything that we can do to help you . [inaudible] sir, can you speak up a little bit . Can you speak up a little bit . [inaudible] okay. We want you to make this thing easy on us, okay . Wed really appreciate that. Could you could you come out so we can get you checked out by an ambulance . Body worn camera five of six. In the clip, a San Francisco Fire Department paramedic speaks with mr. Obannon. [inaudible] how are you . Whats your name . Whats your name. Can you please tell me your name . [inaudible] you want to come out . Do you see my gurney right here . Body worn camera six of six. In this segment, a woman at the scene who identified herself as a case manager in the building spoke with mr. Obannon. [inaudible] is there anything i can do for you now . Do you need anything . The next segment is from video cameras inside the Clerks Office at 540 jones street. In the segment, officers open the back door of the office and attempt to take mr. Obannon into custody. We will now play a slow version of the previous video. This video has been slowed to highlight the wooden board, mr. Obannons possession of a screwdriver, and the officers use of pepper spray. The next video is a segment from the video in the back office of 540 jones street. In the video, you will see officers quickly open a back door into the building. Mr. Obannon quickly follows the officers. Following video was retrieved from surveillance cameras on the exterior of 540 jones street. The video shows the officers exiting the building, mr. Obannon following them, and the subsequent officerinvolved shooting. We will now play a slower video of the following video twice, each time, showi. The next video is from the bodyworn camera of the officer who discharged his firearm. The video is from the point where sfpd officers are preparing to enter the offices where mr. Obannon is located and ends following the officerinvolved shooting. [inaudible] get someone in front of there. Somebody in front of there. Lets go. Come this way. [inaudible] the following video still shows mr. Obannons hand in proximity to the firearm of the involved officer. Final video is from the Body Worn Camera of a separate officer near the officer who discharged his firearm. It provides a different perspective of the officer involved shooting. The video is from where the officers are preparing to enter the office where mr. Obannon is located and ends following the officerinvolved shootin d [inaudible] the last image is a video still of mr. Obannon with the screwdriver. We will now show you a map of the area involved in these incidents. I mentioned there are three incidents. One that occurred on the 600 block of post street in the 5 30 hour of tuesday, april 21. Thats where the aggravated assault occurred. Second, 540 jones street, where the officerinvolved shooting occurred, and third, the image of glide Memorial Church on the map at 333 ellis. The photograph is of the board held by mr. Obannon with what appears to be blood. The board measures 47 and was recovered at 540 jones street. That will conclude my presentation. Thank you, commander. My name is karl fabry, and im the commander at the tenderloin station. Over the years, ive grown to trust the relationships between the Tenderloin Community and the officers at our station. We understand the trust built between us and the community has to be built and maintained over years and not when suddenly thrust into crisis. Id like to acknowledge the staff at glide. On a day when they were expected to provide meals and services for hundreds, if not thousands, of people, they suddenly found themselves in the middle of a critical incident. Because of our established trust between our department and glide, we were able to quickly meet with key Staff Members who provided us with invaluable information regarding the layout and access to the building. Id like to thank the staff at mercy housing, which is directly across the street from glide. They allowed us to use their Community Room so officers could rest, get water, and take short breaks as this incident unfolded over many hours. I would like to thank the sfpd Tactical Unit and crisis negotiators whose training and expertise was truly put to the test on the day of this incident. Finally, i would like to thank officer jordan townsend. Officer townsend and his partners fulltime assignment at the tenderloin station is working with those on the street, steering them toward resources, offering advice, showing compassion, and providing support in any way they can. I look forward to building on the relationship and trust our officers and Community Value so much in the tenderloin. Chief scott . First, id like to thank all of our viewers for joining us tonight. We now as time for Public Comment. As you see the callin number on the screen, and at the conclusion of tonights town hall, all information will be available on the San Francisco Police Department website. Thank you. Operator you have two questions remaining. Caller you have two minutes starting now. Caller hi. Im jennie faye, and im the director of the league of women voters for San Francisco. Having the Police Commission absent during an officerinvolved shooting is not acceptable. We urge that the city allow the Police Commission to hold Public Meetings as it is the body dedicated to oversight and discipline to ensure equitable public safety. The league believes a democratic government requires that governmental bodies protect citizens right to now by giving adequate notice of proposed action, holding Public Meetings, and making public records accessible. Thank you. Caller thank you. Operator you have zero questions remaining. Caller to get into the queue for Public Comment, please dial onezero. Operator you have one question remaining. So to the administration and chief scott, ive been listening to all of this meeting. And all you all know that you havent met for a long time. Now suddenly, when we see this video, we are very disturbed. Why are we disturbed . For the last seven weeks [inaudible] in our homes while im getting reports and the chief knows me pretty well im getting reports of assaults, and a lot of people traumatized. I took the muni twice, and both times i encountered people who are assaulting others. I had to get down from the muni bus. So i think we must stop ensuring that Something Like this this is not a movie, this is not a documentary. It doesnt prove anything. I have known Police Officers for over 45 years, i know what i speak about caller 30 seconds left. Doing this in the middle of a pandemic is not the right thing to do. So chief scott, please look at this and stop showing these types of videos. You just irritate distant san franciscans. Thank you very much. Caller thank you. Operator you have zero questions remaining. Thank you. We will now conclude our virtual town hall. There are no other callers in the queue, and id like to thank our viewers for tuning in tonight. Again, our mission with our town halls are to be transparent, to educate the public on our investigative processes, and to make sure that san franciscans have access to the Police Department to voice their concerns and comments. Thank you, and please have a good evening, and stay safe. In meeting is called to order at 11 01 a. M. The Small Business commission thanks sf gov for viewing on livestreamed at sftv. Org. Members of the public who will be calling in, the number is 888 2733658 and the access