SAN FRANCISCO -- A former San Francisco gang task force investigator testified in court Wednesday that he believed the 2008 slayings of a San Francisco man and two of his sons were in mistaken retaliation for the shootings of two alleged MS-13 members earlier the same day.

"I do believe that they were," said police Sgt. Mario Molina during the San Francisco Superior Court preliminary hearing for Edwin Ramos, the 22-year-old accused MS-13 member charged with the June 22, 2008, murders of Tony Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16.

Police have said the family was mistaken for gang members.

Ramos, of El Sobrante, reportedly admitted to police during an interview after his arrest three days later that he drove the Chrysler 300 used in the shootings, but denied being the shooter. He said another alleged gang member, Wilfredo Reyes -- who has not since been found -- fired the gun.

Molina said Ramos also told him during the interview that he knew two other alleged MS-13 members had been shot before noon that day in the Mission District. The incident reportedly involved rival Norteno gang members.

Ramos told Molina he picked up one of the shooting victims at the hospital in Oakland that night.

Between the time of the Mission District shooting and the Bologna murders in the nearby Excelsior District about three hours later, there were several phone conversations between alleged MS-13 gang members, including known "shot-callers" in the gang, Molina said.

Molina said Reyes, nicknamed "Flaco," was a shot-caller in the gang.

Reyes was in Ramos' Chrysler 300 when they encountered the Bologna family, according to Ramos' statement.

The Bolognas were coming home from a picnic in the East Bay, when the Chrysler 300 blocked them at a stop sign in the 200 block of Congdon Street, according to testimony at the hearing last week. The Chrysler then pulled alongside their car and someone inside opened fire.

A surviving son testified at the hearing that Ramos was the shooter. He said Ramos gave them a menacing glare before the shots rang out.

Molina said Wednesday that Ramos, nicknamed "Popeye," told him Reyes was in the front seat with him and when Reyes saw the Bologna family he said "Chapos. Chapos." The term is a derogatory name that Surenos, which include MS-13 gangs, use for Nortenos, he said.

"This is typical gang-related crime," said Molina.

"When you attack a member of MS, the gang is expected to retaliate," even if against merely perceived enemies, he said.

Molina called the Excelsior District, which is Norteno territory, "known hunting grounds for MS-13" and the site of "numerous" gang incidents.

Molina said that his years investigating Latino gang crime in the Mission District included "numerous contacts with Mr. Ramos."

Molina, who now works at Ingleside Station, was qualified in court as an expert on gangs, particularly Latino gangs in the San Francisco Bay Area.

He said Ramos admitted to him in 2005, when Ramos was 19 years old, that he had been a member of MS-13 for the previous seven years.

Ramos' mother, in filing an earlier missing child report, had referred to her son as a gang member, Molina said.

In Ramos' arrest interview in June 2008, he told Molina that he was not really in the gang anymore.

"I kinda are, but I ain't. You know what I mean? Kinda like more to the side now," Molina quoted Ramos as saying.

Defense attorney Marla Zamora began her cross-examination of Molina late this afternoon and is scheduled to continue Thursday morning.

Zamora has questioned the way police handled the information from Ramos about Reyes' involvement, implying there were costly delays in that part of their investigation.

Homicide Inspector Tom Newland disputed that claim in testimony earlier Wednesday.

"Every effort was made to locate him," Newland said of Reyes.

Of Ramos' claim that Reyes fired the shots, Molina testified today, "It was kind of a self-serving statement."

Zamora objected and Judge Teri Jackson ordered the comment stricken from the court record.

The prosecution case is expected to wrap up Thursday morning, followed by possible defense witnesses.

Attorneys have said the hearing may conclude Thursday, after which Jackson will rule on whether there is sufficient evidence to hold Ramos for trial on the charges.