SF police say officers shot, killed 2 men

San Francisco police shot and killed two men in a confrontation last week after being called to help a man being attacked, police said Friday.

Police Chief Bill Scott provided information about the shooting at a virtual town hall Friday after facing criticism for keeping nearly silent for over a week about what unfolded May 19, including whether the men were struck by police gunfire, how the men died and how many officers had fired their weapons.

Police were dispatched to a San Francisco street under a highway overpass around 8 p.m. after a 911 caller reported that a man who was possibly homeless was violently beating someone underneath a tarp, San Francisco police Commander Paul Yep told the town hall. The caller said the man appeared to have two large sticks or rods the size of baseball bats.

When officers arrived, the two men were on the ground in a struggle and officers realized both men had knives, Yep said. More police were called to assist and ultimately more than a dozen officers were there, as seen in body-camera footage shown Friday.

Yep said the men refused to drop their knives, prompting an officer to fire foam bullets. Several other officers repeatedly shouted commands to drop the knives as officers pointed their weapons at them.

In the camera footage, one officer tells one of the men: “We don't want to hurt you, all right?”

“We're not going to shoot you,” the officer says. “I don't want to shoot you. I need you to drop the knife, please.”

After a nine-minute struggle, Michael MacFhionghain, 57, started to stab Rafael Mendoza, 49, prompting four officers to fire their guns, Yep said. He said three fired handguns, and one fired a rifle.

MacFhionghain, pronounced dead at the scene, died of multiple gunshot wounds and Mendoza died from one gunshot wound, Yep said, citing a report from the medical examiner's office.

Yep said investigators recovered 11 pistol casings, one rifle casing, four foam projectiles and various casings from other weapons.

Earlier this week, the state attorney general's office announced it would investigate the shooting under a new state law that requires the California Department of Justice to investigate police shootings that result in the death of any unarmed civilians.