Man shot dead by police at SFO identified as 37-year-old homeless man
Investigators descend on the San Francisco International Airport to investigate a fatal shooting of a man who was armed with replica guns. Jan. 20, 2022
SAN FRANCISCO - A man who was shot dead by police last week at San Francisco International Airport after allegedly brandishing replica firearms was identified Tuesday as a 37-year-old man who was homeless, officials said.
Nelson Szeto was killed by San Francisco police officers early Thursday inside the airport’s International terminal near the BART entrance, according the police and officials with the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office.
The state Attorney General’s Office took over the investigation under state law after authorities discovered Szeto had charged police with replica "airsoft" guns that resemble real firearms.
The guns did not have orange tips and trigger guards that typically signal they are replicas, officials with the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office told KTVU.
San Francisco police officers – who are contracted to do security at the airport – responded that day around 7:30 a.m. after multiple people, including a TSA agent, reported a man acting aggressively inside the airport.
When police got to the scene, they said they attempted to deescalate the situation and used a less-lethal bean bag round on the man. When he charged toward them, several officers opened fire, police said.
Under a new state law, signed in 2020 as AB 1506, the California Department of Justice takes over as the lead investigative agency in any police killing involving a person who is not armed with a deadly weapon – including replica firearms.
The San Francisco Police Department said it planned to hold a town hall meeting to reveal more details of the investigation within 10 days of the shooting.
Evan Sernoffsky is an investigative reporter for KTVU. Email Evan at evan.sernoffsky@foxtv.com and follow him on Twitter @EvanSernoffsky.