June 26, 2022 Updated: June 26, 2022 8:05 p.m.
Demonstrators carried a large flag of pride during the 52nd Annual Pride Parade and Pride Festival in San Francisco on June 26, 2022 in San Francisco. The incident was interrupted after a reported shooting, which could not be confirmed, police said.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
UPDATE, 8pm: The official San Francisco Pride Twitter account posted a statement saying the unconfirmed shooting report came from a man spraying a mace into the crowd:
“There was an incident near the main stage of Kaiser Permanente, where there was cause for concern,” the tweet said. “It’s important to let people know that as it was announced from the stage at the time, this was a man spraying a mace in the crowd. Although no one was hurt, we know it was not a pleasant experience. We have decided to suspend implementation in the interests of safety. “
7:03 p.m.: The first personal event of the San Francisco Pride of 2019 was interrupted early Sunday night after an unconfirmed shooting was reported near the intersection of 7th and Market streets around 5:25 p.m., police said.
“The officers responded in the area and failed [locate] all victims or witnesses, ”reads a statement shared with SFGATE by email.[At] this time there did not appear to have been any merit for the shooting in the area and officers remained on the scene to ensure the safety and security of Pride events. “
Asked for more information, spokeswoman Catherine Winters said police did not know where the reports came from or what prompted them.
A video shared on Twitter shows people fleeing the event from the Shovels Bar and Grill window while another person asked, “What’s going on?”
At 6:05 p.m., the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management asked the public to avoid the streets of Hayes and Polk due to police activity and emergency crews in the area. A follow-up post from the department on Twitter said the Pride celebration was “over” and instructed people to “do it safely [their] leaving the area of the Civic Center. ”
This is an evolving story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Amanda Bartlett is a cultural reporter for SFGATE. Prior to joining the newsroom in 2019, she worked for Roxie Theater, Noise Pop and the Frameline Film Festival. Bartlett graduated from the University of Iowa and lives in San Francisco.
Add Comment