Encountered this scene while on the way to El Farolito for an Al Pastor Super, attempting to shake the awful memory of Canadian burritos from my mind. Needless to say I lost my appetite as soon as I realized what was underneath the yellow tarp.
This guy standing here on the right was allowed to remain inside the yellow tape, calmly smoking a cigarette while waiting for officers to question him (as a witness, not a suspect).
The victim was reportedly an “older guy” whose death was not immediately attributable to violence (I had heard what sounded like a gunshot moments earlier, so I initially assumed the that to be the cause), which leads me to believe that he may be a member of our populous homeless community.
Police had not yet determined cause of death and were waiting for the coroner to arrive. A number of onlookers had gathered across the street to watch, the mood somber and surreal.
RIP Mission Guy.
Perhaps I’ve watched too many movies, but you probably shouldn’t post pictures of witnesses, even if the cops said the death wasn’t due to violence…
Judging by the broken branches on the ground, and the fact that the building behind the body in the picture appears to be a decent height…my guess is a fall/jump from the roof/window of the building.
Marr, I would say there is nothing wrong with posting any witnesses/suspects whatever, as long as it’s out in a public space … the problem would be if the poster had said he was a suspect when he wasn’t. Things like that can get you in trouble.
What I am a bit put-off about is that the person who posted this had to plug a previous posting about Canadian burritos in the process. Seems a little flip.
hey kevin. well i dunno, it does sound flip. but the shock of death is numbing and immediate reactions often takes a weird spin.
just trying to set the scene. definitely felt weird after seeing the body . . . and definitely did not end up getting that burrito . . .
Yeah, because people care about your life.
Looks like he jumped or was pushed off a building:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/01/BA7S1DOGK7.DTL&tsp=1
No gun shot — according to SF Gate, the guy fell or jumped…http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/01/BA7S1DOGK7.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea
Cops were there, (with the body) for three-four hours. A bit longer than a normal death where they remove the body, no?
Cops were scoping EVERYWHERE. In alleys, behind the building, etc. My guess is they suspect homicide.
or at least doing their due diligence to rule out a homicide – before declaring it an accidental death or suicide.
we get on them a lot them but SFPD isn’t horrible at their jobs.
Yeah, I walked past @ 10:30 pm. Body was on a gurney by then but still, tons of cops.
I live across the street and saw the dead guy (RIP) lying under the tarp literally from around 4pm til after 11pm. Also many cops were on the roof of the building the body was in front of (the Crystal Hotel, a by the hour grim joint) making it seem like the victim jumped or was pushed. It was indeed surreal and sad.
So…
How many hours do you think YOUR body will lie in state after you die?
Or do you think you will you be shoveled into a hole as quickly as possible, and forgotten?
And how do you feel about that?
http://missionlocal.org/2010/06/man-who-fell-from-rooftop-likely-a-resident-of-hotel/
Thank you to those of you who saw this tragedy as it was, extremely sad. My family and I have been crying all day over the loss of my father who didn’t deserve to go in that way. He had his faults, but he also cared about everyone around him.
I know these pictures are interesting to most, but I can assure you that it is an unbearable pain to see pictures of your father lying on the ground under a tarp. And to think that they left him there that long ….
dear rachel, i’m so sorry. even though i didn’t know your beloved dad, the news saddened me… and there’s been a cloud hanging over the mission since… please accept my condolences. wishing you and your family strength and weakness as needed. xo