San Francisco Transit Advocate Succumbs To Wounds Suffered In Mission District Shooting
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A 22-year-old Twitter employee and San Francisco transit advocate who was critically wounded in a Mission District shooting has died of his injuries, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
Witnesses said at around 8:20 p.m. Friday evening, 50 to 60 shots were fired in a shootout between two groups of unidentified people at the intersection.
San Francisco resident Courtney Brousseau, 22, just happened to be standing in the middle and was critically injured in the firefight. He was taken to a local hospital, placed on life support, and died at 7 p.m. Monday at San Francisco General Hospital, a hospital spokesperson said.
A 17-year-old boy also arrived at the hospital with injuries from the shooting, which were not considered life-threatening, according to police.
"You know, this is a senseless tragedy," said Alexander Wilfert. He graduated from Cal with Brousseau last year and remembers him as a young man of passion and drive. They worked together in student government. Brousseau was the kind of guy who could actually get things done.
"One of the most inspiring things about him was he was someone that you knew was going to go out there and make a difference in whatever community he was part of," Wilfert said. "So it's obviously heartbreaking, but it was something I try to remember whenever I think of him."
Brousseau was already well-liked and well-respected by those in the upper reaches of San Francisco city government. Fascinated by transportation, he founded a group called Gay for Transit and worked tirelessly to improve public transportation by bringing people together.
Sabrina Van Zuiden, another friend of Brousseau's, says she is devastated by the news and refuses to think of him as just another crime statistic.
"He's not a 22-year-old man with a critical wound," she said. "He's Courtney. He's our friend. He's our loved one. He's a pillar in our community."
According to a profile on the California YMCA Youth and Government program, where Brousseau volunteered, Brousseau graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and was an employee at Twitter.
He wrote on Twitter minutes before the shooting, saying, "I just ate a delicious burrito in Dolores Park and for a brief moment everything felt okay."
Police described the suspects as two men in their 20s who got out of their vehicle and opened fire. No arrests have been made in the shooting, which remains under investigation.
