Man is shot in the back on busy San Francisco sidewalk while fleeing the police

Oliver Barcenas, 28, was shot in the back while fleeing police in San Francisco

A man attempting to flee from the police was shot by an officer on a busy sidewalk in San Francisco. 

The police department has released four videos along with a detailed account of what happened during the incident that caused an uproar among witnesses who say the shooting was reckless.  

The department defended the officer who pulled the trigger in a press statement Thursday saying that he fired only after the suspect, 28-year-old Oliver Barcenas, ‘drew a firearm from his waist’.

The shooting occurred just after midnight on June 9 in North Beach, where crowds of people had gathered to celebrate the Golden State Warriors’ NBA Championship victory.  

In the videos, two taken from surveillance cameras and two taken from police body cameras, Barcenas is standing with a group of men when an officer approaches and questions them about the open containers of alcohol they’re holding.

As they’re being questioned Barcenas turns around and starts running down the street. 

With the officer hot on his heels, Barcenas rips off his jacket, allegedly reaching for a gun, at which point the officer fires two rounds into his back.  

Body-cam footage shows a police officer approaching Barcenas (second from the left) and three other men and asking about the open containers of alcohol they're allegedly carrying

Body-cam footage shows a police officer approaching Barcenas (second from the left) and three other men and asking about the open containers of alcohol they’re allegedly carrying

Barcenas takes off down the street

The officer chases him and pulls out his gun

Barcenas takes off down the street and the officer chases after him, pulling out his gun

The officer fires two rounds into Barcenas' back after he reportedly tried to pull out a gun

The officer fires two rounds into Barcenas’ back after he reportedly tried to pull out a gun

Moments after shooting Barcenas, the officer says: ‘Shots fired. We’re going to need medics,’ into his radio.

He can then be heard asking: ‘Dude, dude, dude, you all right?’

Neither the officer nor his partner attempts to provide medical assistance to Barcenas, who appears to be unconscious.  

A crowd soon begins to gather around the men as one person shouts: ‘What the fuck you doing?’

One of the officers tells the man to back up, and the crowd begins to chant: ‘Fuck you.’    

A crowd gathers around the men and begins to chant: 'Fuck you' at the officers

A crowd gathers around the men and begins to chant: ‘Fuck you’ at the officers

More officers arrive on the scene and the officer who fired the gun says: ‘He had a firearm. I don’t know where it is. He had, like, a TEC-9.’

None of the four videos appear to show Barcenas in possession of a gun, but police later shared a photo of the .45-caliber glock he was allegedly carrying. 

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott attended a town hall meeting on Thursday and fielded questions from the concerned community.   

‘Those videos do not look good,’ said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents the district where the shooting occurred. 

Barcenas was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for at least one bullet wound in his back. 

He is facing multiple charges including delaying an officer and felony possession of a firearm.   

Police say Barcenas was carrying the gun pictured above, but it cannot be seen in the videos

Police say Barcenas was carrying the gun pictured above, but it cannot be seen in the videos

The shooting occurred just after midnight on June 9 in North Beach, where crowds of people had gathered to celebrate the Golden State Warriors' NBA Championship victory

The shooting occurred just after midnight on June 9 in North Beach, where crowds of people had gathered to celebrate the Golden State Warriors’ NBA Championship victory



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