Northern California - bicyclist shot and killed in San Francisco

The "Richmond District" is an upper middle class neighborhood one block north of Golden Gate Park.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/17/BAVV12VN8B.DTL

Bicyclist shot and killed in Richmond District

Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 17, 2008

(09-17) 07:36 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A bicyclist was shot and killed early today during an altercation in a normally quiet neighborhood in San Francisco's Richmond District, police said.

The shooting happened at about 1:40 a.m. near the corner of 15th Avenue and Cabrillo Street just north of Golden Gate Park, said police Sgt. Neville Gittens.

The victim, whose name wasn't immediately released, had apparently been riding a bicycle when he became involved in a dispute with at least two men, police said. One of the men pulled out a gun and shot the victim.

The victim dropped his bicycle in the street and knocked on some doors for help before collapsing outside a set of flats on Cabrillo, police and residents said.

It was unclear whether the assailants got into a car after the shooting, police said.

A motorist found the bike lying in the street at about the same time residents called 911 to report the shooting, authorities said.

No arrests have been made in the slaying, which has shocked residents of the neighborhood.

"It's very safe. Everyone on the blocks knows everybody," said Denise Bottarini, who has lived on Cabrillo for 10 years. "It shocks me that it happened in our neighborhood."

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

Somehow I think there's a lot more to it than is reported here.

Somehow I think there's a lot more to it than is reported here.

As I read the story I thought exactly the same thing. It's like saying someone got killed in Oakland. And the
lady Denise Bottarini is quite wrong, most people have no idea who lives half a block away.

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10486020

Male bicyclist fatally shot in San Francisco's Richmond District

Bay City News Service
Article Launched: 09/17/2008 06:20:24 AM PDT

San Francisco police are looking for two suspects in the fatal shooting of a man early this morning in the Richmond District.

Police received reports of a shooting at about 1:40 a.m. near the intersection of Cabrillo Street and 15th Avenue, according to police spokesman Sgt. Neville Gittens said.

The victim was on a bicycle when he was shot, according to Gittens, who said that the victim then got off his bike and started running down Cabrillo Street.

The victim apparently knocked on doors of buildings in the neighborhood, which possibly prompted the calls to police, Gittens said.

When officers arrived, they discovered the victim had died in the doorway of one of the buildings, according to Gittens.

No suspects have been arrested, but police believe two people were involved in the shooting, Gittens said.

Witnesses to the shooting are being asked to call the San Francisco Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444.

As I read the story I thought exactly the same thing. It's like saying someone got killed in Oakland. And the
lady Denise Bottarini is quite wrong, most people have no idea who lives half a block away.

Just to let you know. I know we have lot's of BF riders out in that area.
1. Didn't recognize bike.
2. Bike was Orange and white old school bands on seat tube and down tube
blue helmet.
3. Looked like a small rider, frame was to large (seat way down almost to top tube.
4. 1:40 in the morning?
5. Stated as caucasian

The victim could have been commuting to or from a night job. Unless the police state otherwise, I think we should assume that he was an innocent victim.

Wonder what the altercation was about?

1:40am .... Just your average joe commuter cyclist I'm sure.

I've known some dudes that deliver "goods" on bicycles.

1:40am .... Just your average joe commuter cyclist I'm sure.

A bike lane runs the length of Cabrillo -- it is one of the two most-travelled streets in the Richmond by cyclists. (Lake is the other.) And it's not uncommon to see cyclists on Cabrillo late at night. It is basically the "bike highway" of the Richmond District. And given that there are lots of car-free, car-lite people who live in SF, it's quite possible the victim was commuting or utility-riding, even at that hour.

At this point, it's unwise to draw conclusions about much of anything in this case because there aren't many details available yet.

Looks to be a fairly recent model Lemond, with decent lights. I ride often at night and early morning, commuting and training. You ride when you can.

At this point, it's unwise to draw conclusions about much of anything in this case because there aren't many details available yet.

Agreed.

I had a Gang banger type chase me through golden gate park 3weeks ago...He pulled out of the parking lot right in front of me...I'm pretty sure just to jerk my chain. I happened to mention to him after he yelled at me that his grammar was worse than his driving. I was scared cause his eyes kept darting around for witness's. So you never know. I can't keep my mouth closed though... it's my own worst enemy. There are some really crappy people out there and we have to really be careful. Some one got shot and killed the same way out in the Ingleside so I hope this isn't some kind of serial madness!

I had a Gang banger type chase me through golden gate park 3weeks ago...He pulled out of the parking lot right in front of me...I'm pretty sure just to jerk my chain. I happened to mention to him after he yelled at me that his grammar was worse than his driving. I was scared cause his eyes kept darting around for witness's. So you never know. I can't keep my mouth closed though... it's my own worst enemy. There are some really crappy people out there and we have to really be careful. Some one got shot and killed the same way out in the Ingleside so I hope this isn't some kind of serial madness!

I was coming up a backroad in GGP when this jerko was parked across the road blocking it completely, yakking with his buddy. I told him how considerate he was (putting it nicely) and I continued up the road after dismounting and going around jerko. A minute later, jerko comes up beside me, saying he's going to kick my a..., this and that. I told him I have his plates so go ahead and do whatever. He sped off.

There're jerks everywhere. It can be a super safe neighborhood but if one weirdo is driving by anything can happen. Most of them are more noisy than harmful but if they are high and have a gun we better shut our mouths, get low, and speed away.

I'll wait until there is more information released about this event, and or the victim before I call him a "bicyclist". This is a lot like the San Jose shooting several weeks ago. They called the victim a cyclist, because he was on a bike. They didn't mention the gang tats / colors / neighborhood he was in.. at 3am.

So.. time will tell. Hopefully this is just a case of "who dun it" for the police rather then "Why they did it".

I had a Gang banger type chase me through golden gate park 3weeks ago...He pulled out of the parking lot right in front of me...I'm pretty sure just to jerk my chain. I happened to mention to him after he yelled at me that his grammar was worse than his driving. I was scared cause his eyes kept darting around for witness's. So you never know. I can't keep my mouth closed though... it's my own worst enemy. There are some really crappy people out there and we have to really be careful. Some one got shot and killed the same way out in the Ingleside so I hope this isn't some kind of serial madness!

I was a little worried it was you until I saw your post.:thumb:

Thanks for the concern dude!, but I've had guns pulled on my before, so now I make sure I have a proper avenue of escape when the bullets start flying!
Best thing if there are no witnesses is just bite the old tongue!:innocent:

To all your people who automatically blame the victim, Jordan McCay sounds like a good guy. R.I.P.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/17/BAVV12VN8B.DTL

Man on bike killed in S.F.'s Richmond District

Jaxon Van Derbeken,Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writers
Thursday, September 18, 2008

(09-17) 16:46 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Jordan McCay was just trying to get back home in San Francisco after a long day at work in Berkeley and an evening seeing off a friend traveling to Asia.

He almost made it but came up two blocks short.

The 23-year-old went from his job at a film production outfit in Berkeley on Tuesday night to say good-bye to a friend in Oakland who was leaving for Asia the next day. McCay boarded BART to San Francisco, then pedaled his bicycle across town to the Richmond District by early Wednesday.

In that normally peaceful neighborhood - just two blocks from his home - he was confronted by two men on the street. After an argument, someone shot and killed him at 1:40 a.m. near the corner of 15th Avenue and Cabrillo Street, police said.

"He was coming home, coming down the street - we really don't know what happened," said Lt. Mike Stasko of the San Francisco homicide detail.

The killer left behind the victim's bike - worth as much of $1,000 - and his backpack. "Everything was still there," Stasko said.

Mark Pardini, 38, who lives on 15th Avenue, said he heard "pretty angry voices going back and forth" for a few seconds before hearing gunfire. "It was quick ... probably like 15 seconds" he said, but added he couldn't quite hear what was being said.

"Obviously, they were angry. And then I heard a gunshot and then, about five to 10 seconds later, I heard a car driving away."

Mortally wounded, McKay dropped his bicycle in the street and knocked on doors for help before collapsing outside a set of flats on Cabrillo, police and residents said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have no description of assailants, investigators said.

McKay's father, Matthew, said his son had recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in economics and a minor in film. He worked for a while as a busboy at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, then got an internship at Assemble, a post-production company in Berkeley. He said his son was working on computer modeling and post-production animation for an upcoming Bruce Willis film.

"He was just a couple blocks from home," McKay said. "It seems like, nobody knows for sure, but he was in this fight with two guys. They must have jumped him. One of them pulled out a gun and shot him."

He was living with his girlfriend, whom he met in high school, his father said.

"He was a good guy, he went to school, worked hard. He had a lot of great friends and was just kind of on his way in his career," he said.

"How do you sum up a life? He had a wonderful sense of humor. He was a determined, creative person. He really wanted to get skilled and was learning a lot of different things."

McKay said police were not optimistic about the chances of solving his son's slaying.

"They don't have any eyewitnesses who could identify them - they only saw distant shapes, struggling," the father said he was told.

The killing shocked residents of the neighborhood.

"It's very safe. Everyone on the blocks knows everybody," said Denise Bottarini, who has lived on Cabrillo for 10 years. "It shocks me that it happened in our neighborhood."

Pardini said the corner of 15th and Cabrillo has seen its share of drivers "doing doughnuts," or driving recklessly in circles.

Residents walked to the corner, inspected the scene and shook their heads.

Raymond Villaseñor, a contractor remodeling a three-story apartment building on the corner, said 15th Avenue is a "nice, quiet little street with not a lot of commotion.

"It gets you to think," he said. "You never know when your whole life is going to turn around. You think everything is safe. I've even been leaving my truck unlocked. I'm not going to do that any more."

Two doors away, resident Tai Chan said he "can't believe it happened here. It's supposed to be a good neighborhood."

Chronicle staff writer Henry K. Lee contributed to this report. E-mail the writers at jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com and srubenstein@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Okay, so now it looks to be a worst case scenario of "Why they did it", and "Who dun it". Very unfortunate, maybe with some luck the police will find the guys.

Very sad story. Yes it is the worst case scenario, a total innocent getting struck by thugs. Typical case of being there at the wrong time.
I would like to express my condolences to his family and friends.

Wow. Two blocks from home. Wonder what could have happened that he would've risked anything so close to home. Hope they catch the killers.

Who knows... maybe they hit the kid first. And he was trying to get their info... and then all hell broke loose :(

Can't think of what else would have spurred such a thing.

Who knows... maybe they hit the kid first. And he was trying to get their info... and then all hell broke loose :(

Can't think of what else would have spurred such a thing.

Maybe he was just the person they decided to pick on at that moment. It seems like all you have to do lately to get killed in Richmond or Oakland is be alive and living on earth.

Maybe he was just the person they decided to pick on at that moment. It seems like all you have to do lately to get killed in Richmond or Oakland is be alive and living on earth.

This was in the Richmond District of SF... not the City of Richmond

This was in the Richmond District of SF... not the City of Richmond

I just hope it's not a trend...We are easy pickins out there especially alone on quiet streets.

I just hope it's not a trend...We are easy pickins out there especially alone on quiet streets.

Yeah, very very sad.

I've always felt safe riding in the Sunset and Richmond districts and GG Park at night. After hearing about this my wife says she doesn't want me riding in the dark, but daylignt savings will be ending soon and the training must go on.

For the last 3 winters I've trained 2 nights a week at the polo field in GG park and usually don't see a soul, and when I do sometime see someone there (who's not on a bike) it's kind of scary. I'm glad Constant Rider was there with me for a lot of the training last winter.

God, that's awful. Poor guy.

This was in the Richmond District of SF... not the City of Richmond

That was two examples. San Francisco is not the only place on earth, no matter what it's residents think.

That was two examples.

I figured that was probably the case.

Just clarifying.