S.F. Officer Killed; 1st Since 1994

A police officer has been shot and killed on duty, the first such death here since 1994.

Authorities said the shooting took place late Saturday in the Bayview district after two undercover officers approached a man who was acting suspiciously.

“They were going to talk to him and called out to him, and that’s when he turned around and started shooting,” said Sgt. Neville Gittens of the San Francisco Police Department.

The man fired on the officers with an automatic weapon, hitting both of them before fleeing, Gittens said.

Officer Isaac Espinoza, 29, died after being shot twice. He was an eight-year veteran of the department.

His partner, Officer Barry Parker, 38, was shot in the left leg. Parker, who joined the department about four years ago, was treated and released from San Francisco General Hospital, Gittens said.

Funeral arrangements for Espinoza were pending. A police memorial service was scheduled for later this week, Gittens said.

Police on Sunday followed several leads on the unidentified suspect, described as a black man in his 20s with cornrows who was wearing a dark peacoat.

“We have some situations we’re looking into,” Gittens said.

Gittens said he and other officers were working around the clock to find the man who shot their colleague.

“This is a serious situation, when a person just opens up shooting at police officers,” Gittens said. “It’s a sad and tragic situation.”

The last officer to be killed on duty in San Francisco was James Guelff, who was shot by Vic Lee Boutwell, a carjacker, in November 1994. Boutwell, a drifter, was killed by police in a 25-minute shootout.