San Francisco Shooting Just Occurred
Fri Jul 12, 2013 at 02:38 PM PDT
s.f. shooting just occurred
by edrie
multiple shots fired near 888 brannan - the address is 840 brannan - the rei store. multiple ambulances sent.
i was SUPPOSED to be at brannan right now. not much news out yet - just multiple people shot at 2:30 something in the afternoon.
officers searching for someone...
more when the news comes through... but now it seems multiple victims.
damnit.
2:41 PM PT: shelter in place in effect.
the suspect is still at large.
2:45 PM PT: street closures are currently brannan between 7th and 8th.
this happened around the corner from the police station so the response is rather large. also, it is not uncommon for folks from the gift center who are not cautious to face robbers - especially the diamond dealers.
more when it is available.
2:45 PM PT: fire dept reports multiple victims - at least four ambulances at the scene. witnesses describe the scene as mayhem.
when will this EVER end?
2:50 PM PT: damn! shooting happened at a jewelry store next to rei - don't know if that is the gift center or if information is just clouded - but the cameras from the helicopter are at the giftcenter.
ktvu is reporting shooting is IN the gift center. damn!
2:55 PM PT: the helicopter is showing the gift center (jewelry mart) where the block is cordoned off and people going in and out of 888 brannan. the shooting IS in the giftcenter...
witnesses say that man in white tee shirt was running toward 7th and brannan with police and man firing at each other. it appears that the shooting may have been a robbery at the jewelrymart.
the police presence is at the giftcenter/jewelry mart and ktuv reports several people in the center have been shot.
2:59 PM PT: oh no! it was victoga - the owner and girl who work there were shot - they are my friends! he has small children he is a wonderful man and so is his wife. this is right across from my pearl store.
crying now...
3:09 PM PT: the police confirmed that two people in victoga were killed. a phone witness said he called his wife and she told him that the owner and one of the women who worked there were shot.
my heart is just breaking right now - i can only pray that Mai (the wife and owner) was not there - they have young children.
3:19 PM PT: trying to bring a bit of explanation of this location...
the lower floor is all jewelry stores - a center aisle separates the stores - all have glass fronts. the giftcenter was sold a few years back to a company trying to drive out the jewelry and wholesale merchants on the upper floors.
after the sale, the security stopped. it is now easy to get into the building - not a lot of security seen in the open lobby where there is a restaurant on one side and a bar on the other.
when you go through the open food court tables, there is a stairway to the lower floor on the nw corner. when you go down the stairs, the first store on the right is my pearl store. on the left is another gold dealer - smaller.
straight ahead is the large gold wholesaler, victoga - run by wonderful people and sales staff that have been there for many years.
this is the store that was robbed.
there is a police officer now giving a press conference - saying that the two killed were found immediately inside the doors at 888 brannan, so there is a possibility that my friends have survived... not that it makes the death of the others better.
the folks who work in the shops are in and out and around the building all day along with multiple customers who are constantly in and out of the building.
still waiting for more specific information...
3:25 PM PT: fucking gun fail... damnit - when is enough efuckingnuff!
3:28 PM PT: the doorway of the business - that is where the people killed were found. it looks more and more like the ones who died may have been the victoga owner and employee...
3:37 PM PT: this shop is where i always bought the most beautiful crosses - the owner (the husband) made a special crucifix for a very special rosary i made from pearls, rubies and saphire... when ever i walked in, he would look up from his workbench behind the counter with the softest smile...
now, though, someone just reported that the two who were shot may have both been women - if the earlier report is true that the owner was shot, then it would be his wife - i hate not knowing...
i remember the birth of their little one - watched the baby grow in pictures posted behind the counter.
please keep them in your prayers and send love to heal the pain from this horrible tragedy
3:46 PM PT: the suspect made his way up and out of the building - if one knows the maze of the building, there are ways to exit and get lost in the crowd.
there may be more than one suspect - the building is being treated as though there is - the swat teams, fbi and police are searching the building.
they will be a while searching the building - too many places to hide...
3:50 PM PT: wow - one of the other jewelry store employers said they hit the floor while the owner of their shop pulled his own weapon but didn't fire. many of the dealers have permits for concealed carry.
one of the suspects fired at officers but then surrendered.
the reporter now says that the two people shot were inside the jewelry store - and the two who were shot were killed.
i keep seeing the face of one of the women - i'm afraid that i know who died... she keeps appearing over and over...
3:52 PM PT: two suspects walked in to attempt to rob victoga. one has been taken into custody. he came out and fired at police in front of mexican restaurant then ran into the restaurant (i'm guessing this is amigos that it was dos amigos that spyguy mentioned in the threads). he was taken into custody in the restaurant - the other suspect is still thought to be in the jewelrymart - but i don't think so - there are ways out of that building where one could slip through - like onto the loading dock and out onto the street.
4:05 PM PT: the police press conference now says the only one suspect - that there was an "edge" weapon and a revolver.
the suspect came out of victoga and running out of building fired at the police, ran into the restaurant, fired more shots at the police and threw the weapon down when he ran out of ammunition.
also, the press conference said that two women were killed. a third man was injured and transported. i don't know if this would be if the owner - for both the husband and wife worked in the store. if the husband of the woman working nearby is correct that one of those shot was the owner - that could be either the husband or wife. this is so unfair - so wrong. my heart breaks for her husband and family.
4:31 PM PT: as more information comes in, i am really afraid that one of the women was the owner... i am devastated by this... i remember the birth of her first child... and waiting for the little one to be born - telling her what the baby would be like (i was right)...
my heart is so broken right now...
5:05 PM PT: now the "sloppy" reporting begins... local abc 7 just reported that the business where the shooting occurred was "new" opened in 2001 - why the people in the newsroom can't operate a damned search feature is beyond me.
victoga, inc has been in business for over 26 years. i hate it when the media is so sloppy.
5:08 PM PT: i need to get away from this for a while - going to go to the barn.
i made a mistake at the beginning of the diary - i assumed the owner killed was the husband. i'm now afraid i was wrong and it was his wife.
for what - money? greed? what price is worth taking the life of a mother (OR father, for that matter) or ANY one for money.
i'll check back in later... i just can't do this any more right now...
11:10 PM PT: this is my last update... the two women killed in victoga haven't been identified - but their ages are mentioned in one article. i know from that who one is - the other, i'm not sure.
my heart goes out to everyone at victoga and to all the people who are in the jewelrymart... it is a closeknit group - they all could use your prayers and wishes for comfort now, as well as thoughts and prayers for the one still critical...
thank you all for your being there for me, too, today. it's been very hard... but you all helped so much.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/12/1223147/-s-f-shooting-just-occurred
