Did the San Francisco Police Department arrest the wrong person in the stabbing death of Sacred Heart freshman Rashawn Williams? According to video evidence presented by the San Francisco Public Defender at a press conference yesterday, it looks like they might have — and that, even when video footage of who the PD says is the real killer was made available to them, no action was taken.
You likely remember the details around Williams' death, how at around 7 p.m. on September 2, the "bright and motivated" 14-year-old was jumped outside Rubin's Market at 26th and Folsom, stabbed to death, family members said, by a middle school classmate who'd been bullying Williams for years.
But looking at the video footage presented by the PD Monday, it's possible that the classmate, who was arrested for the stabbing and has been in custody since, was not the person who dealt the fatal blow.
PD Jeff Adachi showed media surveillance video and photos of the moments leading up to the stabbing yesterday, after a judge overruled the District Attorney's Office's request not to allow its release to the public.
Deputy PD Gregory Feldman said that Williams' alleged killer and another young man (Adachi would not name the second person, but said that "that individual is known to the police," the Ex reports) were caught on video surveillance cameras at the 24th Street BART station and at the 24th and Mission McDonald's.
Here's one such photo, with the teen who was arrested outlined in blue, and his companion in red. (You'll notice that the faces are blurred in all photos and footage. That was the judge's requirement when Adachi sought to release the stills and video.)
About ten minutes later, the pair was caught on video outside Rubin's Market, confronting Williams. According to the Public Defender's office, the grainy video exonerates their client, as it appears to be the arrested teen's companion who stabs Williams, not the Public Defender's client.
According to Feldman, the teen arrested in the killing was "wearing light-colored khakis, a short-sleeved black shirt with a white logo and a black beanie at the time of the stabbing, whereas the person who is allegedly captured on video stabbing Rashawn was wearing dark pants, a dark sweatshirt and a gray beanie," Bay City News reports.
Both sides in the case, Adachi says, as well as police have had this footage for "months."
Here's that video. It's grainy, but it does show a kid getting stabbed, so think about that before you click "play." Again, the teen who was arrested in circled in blue, his companion is in red.
“It is absolutely clear our client is not the person,” Adachi said at the media event, however, "law enforcement has not acted. Why they would not bring that person in is beyond me.”
ABC7 reports that "San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco District Attorney's Office have had access to the surveillance footage and plenty of time to investigate, but nonetheless failed to drop the homicide charges against the juvenile."
“The law says mere presence is not a crime," Adachi said Monday. “What is important is our client has been sitting in juvenile hall for three months...It’s time for it to stop. We don’t want him in jail for one, two or three years waiting for a trial. As citizens of San Francisco, we expect the police to do their job. The Police Department has not acceptably investigated this case.”
For their part, SFPD's refused to answer questions regarding the case, citing an ongoing investigation. According to a spokesperson for the DA's office who spoke with KCBS"These cases are always ongoing. There’s always new information that comes around and we have to be deliberate and we have to be measured in the way that we respond so that we make the right decision."
And apparently, that decision does not include arresting the person who Adachi says is actually responsible for the stabbing. According to the Chron, police know the identity of the person who stabbed Williams, but have not arrested him. Meanwhile, the teen accused of the crime remains in juvenile hall, awaiting a hearing set for next month.
Previously: Suspect In Slaying Of Sacred Heart Freshman Had Been Jealous Of Victim 'Since Kindergarten'
Family Of Slain Sacred Heart Freshman Hopes Community Pressure Will Convince DA To Try Alleged Attacker As Adult
