-- On Saturday Friday at around 10:40 p.m., Jan. 26, 24-year-old Ernesto Williams was shot and killed while standing outside his car at the Chevron station at Sixth and Harrison streets. While waiting with his 26-year-old girlfriend, police claim a suspect drove up to the couple, exited his vehicle, and then "approached the victims and started shooting," killing the Oakland man and wounding his female companion. The suspect then "returned to the vehicle and fled the area," driving off in a "drove off in a gold-colored car." Cops have neither suspects nor description of the assailant(s).

-- Speaking of SOMA nightlife, crime magnet Stillman Street set the stage for two pistol whippings crime muggings a little before 11:30 p.m. With each incident occurring within about twenty minutes from each other on the exact same spot, according the neighbors, two people were approached from behind, whacked on the noodle with a gun, and robbed of their personal belongings. The police showed up later in the night and flashed their siren lights menacingly.

This happened a block away from 715 Harrison (i.e., City Nights). The Stillman strip between Second and Fourth streets -- a notoriously and continuously police-free zone -- has seen shootings, neo-Nazi graffiti, near sexual assaults, and countless violent beatings just over the last six months. "Help me," Stillman Street replied when questioned on its recent spat criminal mischief.

-- Fortunately, SFPD is on the scene when it comes to unruly homeless folks brandishing cutlery. On Sunday afternoon at around 3:20 p.m. a "panhandler who was shot by a San Francisco police officer after lunging at police with a knife" later died at San Francisco General Hospital. Sending police on a chasing starting from the median strip of Van Ness Avenue at Greenwich Street to Polk Street, three -- yes, three -- cops caught up with the man who then pulled a knife on them, which resulted in his shooting death.

According to the Gate, "[t]he officers were not immediately identified. Under city protocol, the shooting will be investigated by the Police Department's office of management control and homicide division, as well as the district attorney and civilian-run Office of Citizen Complaints." But for now, thank the Lord above, Russian Hill is safe again.