San Francisco police shoots fleeing suspect in back

555 ** Volume warning during confrontation from the crowd ** Body-worn camera footage released Thursday showed a San Francisco police officer shoot an armed suspect in the back while the man ran from a North Beach corner where he was stopped for drinking from an open container. Oliver Barcenas, 28, was shot from behind after pulling out a modified pistol while running down Grant Avenue toward Green Street last Saturday, according to police Cmdr. Greg McEachern. showed Barcenas passing through a crowded sidewalk with an unidentified officer chasing behind him. The shots rang out shortly after midnight as revelers filled the area for the last game of the NBA Finals, raising concerns among residents at a community meeting Thursday that a bystander could have been struck. The shooting also prompted some to question whether the officer acted too quickly. "They were drinking from an open container, and all of a sudden the police come and everything falls apart," said Joanne Keaney, who attended the meeting. "What does it mean that he had to shoot him to stop him when he didn't even know what was going on?" Barcenas, a San Francisco resident and known gang member, had been shot before by police. In 2012, Assistant Deputy Chief Toney Chaplin shot Barcenas three times during a pursuit in the Mission in which Barcenas carried a loaded semi-automatic pistol. Chaplin, who later served as acting chief, was a sergeant at the time. In the latest shooting, McEachern said Barcenas was standing on the corner and drinking with a group of four men. The body-camera footage showed him run after a brief verbal exchange with the officer over the open containers. During the pursuit, McEachern said Barcenas threw off his jacket and pulled from his waist a Glock .45 Caliber pistol equipped with a laser sight and loaded with 26 rounds. showed Barcenas run between people on the sidewalk, including two women holding one another in a firm embrace. McEachern said the officer fired two rounds at his back, but it is unclear whether both struck Barcenas. Barcenas fell to the ground as an angry crowd formed around the officer and police secured the area.

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