Man stabbed to death on Market Street in San Francisco's Castro, police investigating

A man was stabbed to death in San Francisco's Castro District Tuesday evening, police say. There are few details available from officials, but some neighbors say they are fed up with an escalation of crime and feeling unsafe in their neighborhood. One man has even taken to carrying a Taser.

SAN FRANCISCO - A man was stabbed to death in San Francisco's Castro District Tuesday evening, police say.

San Francisco Police Department is investigating the homicide that happened on the 2000 block of Market Street. Police in a statement said Mission District officers responded to the scene at around 8:26 p.m. on the report of a stabbing. There, they found an adult male suffering from possible stab wounds being treated by paramedics. The victim was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police later told KTVU the stabbing happened in a busy shopping center parking lot. The area is a bustling corridor of businesses, nightlife, restaurants, and the main thoroughfare with public transportation, including street cars that roll down Market Street. This latest incident adds to other ongoing safety concerns in the neighborhood, including assaults and home and car break ins.

Police said no arrests have been made. They did not say if there was any suspect information available and have released few details.

Neighbors we spoke with said it was quieter than usual at the Safeway parking lot on Wednesday night. They say it's because the previous night's stabbing. They said the stabbing happened in another part of the lot by Jamba Juice and empty storefronts.

A source said the victim is a 40-year-old man.

"I wasn't shocked, but I was disappointed. I want to know what's going on," said Frank Tizedes, president of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association. He said in the past, he's been attacked three times and that none of his attackers have been charged. He said during the most recent attack about six weeks ago, a mentally-ill stranger bit him and broke his finger.

He's not alone.

"This is a Taser…a civilian Taser." Dennis Richards shows his Taser that he now carries after a few run-ins with what he said are mentally ill people in the neighborhood.

In February, there was a shooting in the same parking lot that wounded two people. Long time residents are fed up.

"We're thinking of leaving the city. That's how concerned we are. We feel like when we leave our house even during the day, we put our safety at risk," said Richards. "It's just not acceptable, I mean this is our neighborhood."

Police have not said what the motive for the killing was, but talk in the neighborhood was that it may be drug related. Residents say crime escalated when COVID emerged in 2020. They want people responsible to be held accountable.