Police shot and killed a suspect in Rohnert Park homicide who opened fire on officers during a standoff in San Francisco's Lower Nob Hill neighborhood late Wednesday night.
Dianne Hughes, 66, suffered blunt force injuries to her head. .
Rohnert Park police contacted the suspect at an apartment building in the 800 block of Post Street at around 8:45 p.m. in connection with a homicide investigation in their jurisdiction, San Francisco police Sgt. Michael Andraychak said.
Rohnert Park officers requested assistance from San Francisco police. When San Francisco police arrived at the scene the Rohnert Park officers were attempting to contact the suspect who had barricaded himself inside the building, Andraychak said.
The suspect open fired at the officers and the officers withdrew, Andraychak said.
The building's occupants were evacuated, surrounding streets were closed to traffic and a tactical unit and crisis negotiators were brought in to assist, Andraychak said.
Tactical units secured the floor where the suspect was barricaded and Andraychak said the suspect continued to fire shots through walls and the floor.
The suspect also set several fires while holed up in the apartment and those fires have been extinguished by San Francisco firefighters, Andraychak said.
Police determined that the suspect posed an imminent threat to officers and to occupants who had been unable to evacuate because of the suspect's gunfire, Andraychak said.
San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr told the San Francisco Chronicle that officers made a decision to kill the suspect. Accoring to an article in the Chronicle,
The decision was made to have officers kill the suspect when able because he posed a significant threat to public safety, police said.
"That opportunity presented itself. The suspect was neutralized and is dead at this time," Suhr said.
At least one officer shot the suspect and he died at the scene, according to Andraychak.
Andraychak said no injuries were reported, however police are going door to door tonight to ensure that no one in neighboring apartments were injured. Post Street was closed to traffic between Larkin and Leavenworth streets and Hyde Street was closed between Sutter and Geary streets.
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