SFPD forum on deadly officer-involved shooting

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Police held a town hall meeting Friday afternoon to answer questions about Wednesday's officer involved shooting of a man who top of a construction site at St. Luke's Hospital in the Mission.

Police Chief Greg Suhr laid out a timeline of events and acknowledged for the first time that the man killed by officers may not have fired his gun.

The first 911 call came in Wednesday afternoon at 4 o'clock. 

It came from a construction worker reporting that a man had a shotgun and what was thought to be a handgun at the construction site.

The man was described as Latino, wearing white coveralls over a black sweatshirt with a baseball cap with tattoos on his face.

Police have identified the man as 25 year old
Javier Ivan Lopez Garcia of San Jose.

Three minutes after that first 911 call, the first officers arrived and reported hearing gunshots...as did other callers to 911.

But during Friday's community meeting, Chief Suhr acknowledged that what they heard may not have been gunshots.

"Active construction site...those sounds could have been anything since the call was that of an active shooter," said Chief Suhr. And that Garcia seen on the construction elevator may not have fired the shotgun he had. "We don't know that he fired any shots," said the police chief,"It does not appear there were any spent casings from the shotgun that was found at the scene."

The other gun Garcia had turns out to be an airsoft pistol which fires pellets.

Still , at the time, Chief Suhr says Garcia was a threat. He was up on top of the lift between the 6th and 7th floor and he was armed. Police say there were about 30 workers hiding nearby

"Mr Garcia had the barrel of the long gun in a shooting position and he was moving the barrel of the gun from side to side. Officers believed the suspect to be targeting civilians and police," said Chief Suhr.

He says the officers feared for the lives of the construction workers, members of the public and their own lives. and ordered him to drop the gun.

Police say Garcia did not comply. "Three officers discharged their weapons from the ground floor up at Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia was struck where he stood on top of the manlift," said Chief Suhr.

There is surveillance video showing Garcia robbing the Big 5 store in San Bruno...where he got the shotgun.

On Friday, police displayed a photo of the threatening note Garcia handed a worker...demanding a shotgun.

 Chief Suhr says it is not known why Garcia came to the hospital construction site.