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New SF Shooting Prompts Call For Investigation, Review Board

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Activists have called for the formation of a civilian review board and an FBI investigation following the latest San Francisco police shooting of a suspect.

Meanwhile,  the man who was fatally shot by police on Saturday after allegedly opening fire on officers in the city's Bayview District has been identified by the medical examiner's office as Kenneth Harding, a 19-year-old convicted child rapist.

KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:

Groups including the Idriss Stelley Foundation, SF Education Not Incarceration and the SF Bayview National Black Newspaper will gather Monday to issue a call for change in response to the shooting, said Mesha Irizarry, executive director of the Idriss Stelly Foundation.

The groups also want to see District Attorney George Gascon removed from the investigation, saying he has a conflict of interest since he was once chief of police, said Irizarry, who is also a member of San Francisco's marijuana oversight committee.

KCBS' Holly Quan Reports:

Harding, 19, had been detained by patrol officers doing fare inspections at a San Francisco Municipal Railway light-rail stop at Third Street and Palou Avenue at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, police said.

Police said Harding ran from the officers and pulled out a handgun and shot at them as they chased him. At least one of the officers returned fire and wounded Harding. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:01 p.m.

No police officers were injured. The officers involved in the shooting had been conducting the fare inspections while they were stationed in the area as part of an increased police presence in response to recent shootings in the neighborhood, police said.

Amateur video footage of the exchange showed that a passerby picked up Harding's handgun after the shootout and took it from the area before investigators were able to establish a crime scene, police said.

But with the help of witnesses, police were able to identify the person who took the gun, and recovered it Sunday afternoon.

The shooting is the third involving San Francisco police since early June. On June 7, officers fatally shot a suspected Southern California bank robber near Buena Vista Park after he allegedly tried to run them over with his car.

On June 29, police shot and wounded a wanted parolee after he shot at officers near Gough and Ellis streets, according to police.

The shooting has already triggered one impromptu demonstration, which took place shortly before 1 a.m. in the Mission District. An angry crowd gathered near 16th and Valencia streets for a walking demonstration.

Supervisor Malia Cohen on Saturday issued a statement expressing sympathy for the family of the man killed and urging anyone with information to contact the police.

"I intend to review the results of the internal investigation from the police department to ensure department protocol was followed," Cohen said.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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