Jan 31, 2016:
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said it will conduct a "collaborative review" of the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD).
A "collaborative review" does not compel the law enforcement agency to act on the recommendations of the review, whereas a review conducted by the DOJ Civil Rights Division gives the DOJ the power to force the law enforcement agency to comply with recommendations.
Justice Department to review SFPD in wake of Mario Woods killing | San Francisco Chronicle
Justice Department promises ‘exhaustive’ review of S.F. police | San Francisco Chronicle
Read the U.S. Department of Justice news release here.
Jan 29, 2016:
The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) of Northern California and the ACLU Disability Rights Program sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice urging a federal pattern and practice investigation into the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) for systemic civil rights violations, including the killing of Mario Wood.
Justice for Mario Woods: ACLU Calls for Federal Investigation of the SFPD | ACLU
ACLU Calls for Federal Investigation Into SFPD's Pattern of Civil Rights Violations | SF Weekly
Dec 11, 2015:
John Burris, an attorney for the Woods family, announced that a federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed against the city of San Francisco in connection with the December 2 shooting.
Police released the names of the five officers involved in the shooting: Winson Seto, Antonio Santos, Charles August, Nicholas Cuevas and Scott Phillips.
Family sues as video casts new light on police killing of Mario Woods | San Francisco Chronicle
Watch cell-phone video of the shooting shot by a bystander here.
Dec 2, 2015:
San Francisco Police shot and killed Mario Woods, a 26-Year-Old Black male. Cell-phone video shot by a bystander shows a group of 6-7 police officers surrounding Woods who was very slowly walking on a sidewalk up against a wall. Shortly after the start of the video you hear a barrage of at least 15 gunshots and then you see Woods on the ground.
Police approached and surrounded Woods because he was a suspect in a non-fatal stabbing in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco earlier in the day.
Police said they used pepper spray and shot bean bags at Woods prior to opening fire. Police justified the shooting saying that Woods was endangering officers by brandishing a 6-to-8-inch kitchen knife and that he had his arm raised with the knife.
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