Man killed in standoff — cops free 3 hostages

An hours-long standoff in San Francisco came to a deadly end Sunday morning for a man holding two children and his wife hostage, when police burst through the door of his apartment and opened fire, authorities said.

The wife and two children, ages 5 and 11, were unharmed in the overnight confrontation on Russian Hill. Officials did not identify the husband, describing him only as a man in his 30s.

Investigators trying to determine what led to the shooting picked through a pile of debris outside the apartment building that included children’s toys and spent police rounds. Authorities did not say whether they had found a

gun — or any other weapon — inside the apartment, although police reported hearing what they believed were shots during the standoff.

Officers responded to the building on Salmon Street, a short alley off Pacific Avenue, around 11:35 p.m. Saturday to check on a report of a domestic disturbance involving a man “with a possible weapon,” said Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a police spokesman.

“Upon arrival, officers heard yelling coming from inside the apartment and within minutes they heard a shot from inside the apartment,” Andraychak said. At that point, officers called in hostage negotiators and tactical officers.

Negotiators spoke to the man for several hours, but around 2:50 a.m. he stopped responding, Andraychak said. Moments later, police heard what they believed to be another gunshot from inside the apartment and, “fearing for the safety of the hostages,” sent in the tactical team, Andraycak said.

Once inside, officers encountered the man and shot him, police said. He was pronounced dead at San Francisco General Hospital.

The wife and children were treated at the scene and released. They were not shot or seriously injured, Andraychak said.

Neighbors on Salmon Street reported hearing the commotion throughout the night, including an explosion from a stun grenade.

A woman who asked to be identified only by her first name, Cindy, said her mother lives across from where the shooting happened at the back of the dead-end alley. She said the children sometimes played in the street, but that her interactions with the man never amounted to more than a friendly wave.

“It’s shocking that something like this could happen in the neighborhood,” she said. “The neighbors all know each other, but that family pretty much just kept to themselves.”

Police homicide and internal affairs inspectors are investigating the shooting, as are the district attorney’s and chief medical examiner’s offices.

Police officials will hold a town hall meeting in the neighborhood within the next 10 days, which is department protocol.