Dolores Park:
Police think attack was ‘targeted’ — 2 victims remain in hospital
San Francisco Police Department to pick up patrols in wake of Thursday afternoon shooting.
The San Francisco Police Department will be stepping up patrols around Dolores Park over the weekend in the wake of a spasm of gun violence Thursday afternoon that left three people wounded and nearby residents deeply rattled.
Law enforcement officials said Friday that they are working to identify as many as five suspects in connection with the shooting, which erupted in broad daylight as the popular park was teeming with people.
Investigators are also looking into whether the shootings were gang-related. Officer Giselle Talkoff, a police spokeswoman, said the city’s gang task force was trying to determine “what the connection is between the victims and the suspects,” adding that the attack did not appear random.
“We believe it was targeted,” she said. “We want to reassure the public in that sense.”
Investigators were also reviewing surveillance video, and have asked for the public’s assistance in collecting more in an effort to identify suspects.
Two videos captured from
“This is a place that I always said was so serene ... and sure enough, that’s been shattered.” John Beauparlant, dog-walker who lives near Dolores Park
a nearby resident’s security camera were reviewed by The Chronicle and turned over to police by the homeowner. The footage shows what could be two getaway cars speeding away from the park moments after the gunfire.
Audio on one of the videos also captured what sounded like nine gunshots in quick succession, and then another moments later.
Police and witnesses said the attack occurred after a confrontation between two groups of people on a pedestrian bridge that leads into the park from the corner of Church and 19th Streets.
The three victims were two men, ages 69 and 37, and a 16-year-old boy. Their identities have not been released, but one remained in critical condition at San Francisco General Hospital as of Friday afternoon. Another victim was still hospitalized with non-lifethreatening injuries, and the third was treated and discharged Thursday.
Rising levels of gang-related activity at Dolores Park appear to have been on the police department’s radar for some time. Celeste Oberfest, who lives near the park, said a police lieutenant recently spoke to her neighborhood’s safety group and mentioned seeing an uptick in gang activity around the park since the beginning of the year.
The lieutenant “was very forthcoming about the challenges they face in our neighborhood,” Oberfest said.
A recent spate of violence has shaken many of those who live near Dolores Park, which, especially on warm, sunny days, can draw crowds of thousands.
Thursday’s triple shooting was acutely unnerving to John Beauparlant, who also lives near the park and walks dogs for a living there. He was walking a dog in the park minutes before gunfire cut through the air. He said he feels lucky to have avoided being harmed in the attack.
“This is a place that I always said was so serene and so mellow — and sure enough, that’s been shattered,” he said.
The specter of a rising tide of gang activity in the park, Beauparlant said, also has him worried about retaliatory attacks born out of the shootings Thursday.
“Innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire,” he said.
In response to the shootings, Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, whose District Eight includes Dolores Park, has called for a community meeting on Aug. 21 to discuss safety issues in the park in response to the shooting. The location and time of the meeting have yet to be determined.
“We have to do everything we can to keep Dolores Park safe for families, visitors and neighbors,” Sheehy said in a statement Friday. “This incident demands a top-to-bottom review of Dolores Park operations and a community process on how to make things better.” Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle. com Twitter: @dominicfracassa