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1 dead in San Francisco mass shooting in Tenderloin District
A shooting in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood killed one person and left four others injured early Thursday morning, police said.
SAN FRANCISCO - A shooting in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood killed one person and left four others injured early Thursday morning, police said.
The shooting happened around 2:34 a.m. in the area of Hyde and Turk Streets next to a playground.
A woman and four men were struck by gunfire, according to the San Francisco Police Department. They were all taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
One of the men succumbed to his injuries.
"If this would have happened in the daytime, it would have been horrific, because that playground is always filled with kids," said JJ Smith, who has been documenting daily crime and drug use in his neighborhood on social media. "The supervisors in these communities need to come out here and really speak and do something about the problems that’s here."
Video that Smith filmed of the area earlier in the evening showed a large crowd of people lining the street.
"There’s a lot of drug activity, a lot of drug use," added Smith. "Where there is drugs, there’s always going to be guns."
"I think the shooting that happened is like the end result. The beginning is like drug abuse, lack of money," said Aurora Wallace, who grew up in the Tenderloin, but now lives in Marin County.
Wallace showed KTVU the Narcan she carries every day on her way to work a few blocks away.
"We need somebody who can advocate for that, get them in programs," said Wallace.
In a statement on Thursday, District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston said, "We were horrified to learn this morning that a shooting took place overnight at Turk and Hyde, killing one person and injuring four others."
The supervisor said his office is in touch with SFPD on this case and hopes it is solved as soon as possible.
"We extend our condolences to the deceased victim’s loved ones and wish for a speedy recovery for those who were injured."
Earlier this month, Mayor London Breed, touted data by Stanford University showing a 52 percent drop in crime last year in parts of the Tenderloin patrolled by "Urban Alchemy" workers.
But longtime Tenderloin resident Billie Cooper said that for her, daily life felt unchanged. She and other neighbors called on city leaders to visit more often and witness the violence and drug use firsthand.
"If we, as people with lived and life experiences, get to talk to these people and tell them how life really is…at least they will have a better understanding of how we actually live our lives here," said Cooper.
This is the city's third homicide this year.
No further details have been released.