San Francisco police are investigating a body found this morning in Bernal Heights park. Park is closed. pic.twitter.com/571GFtaIX7
— Amy Hollyfield (@amyhollyfield) May 25, 2017
San Francisco police are on the hunt for the suspects in two separate homicides, after a man was found with gunshot wounds in the Marina and another man was found with multiple stab wounds in Bernal Heights, taking SF's homicide count for 2017 to 24 victims.
Breaking news-homicide in San Francisco at Bernal and Anderson. I am live at the scene at 7am @kron4news pic.twitter.com/SdNrMzauSQ
— Will Tran (@KRON4WTran) May 25, 2017
Most recently, police say that they were called to Bernal Heights Park at around 5:30 Thursday, when a jogger discovered a male victim San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Sergeant Michael Andraychak says was "suffering from apparent stab wounds."
The victim, who was discovered just inside the Anderson Street gates, was declared dead at the scene, Andraychak says. As of publication time, the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office had not publicly identified the victim.
Breaking-man stabbed to death in San Francisco's Bernal heights neighborhood. Coroner just arrived @kron4news pic.twitter.com/iiomCzqKOF
— Will Tran (@KRON4WTran) May 25, 2017
NBC Bay Area notes that "a camouflage-print knife sheath" appears to have been found at the scene.
Bernalwood claims to have contacted the person who discovered the victim, an unnamed male who reportedly said:
The body was found at around 5:15am this morning at Bernal Park, on Bernal Hts Blvd where the path to Bocana starts. Grossly mutilated body with stab wounds. It was gruesome. No witnesses.There has been a lot of crime, often violent recently on Bernal Hill. It’s about time we disallow overnight parking from 2am to 6am between Anderson to Carver. Since the city has banned overnight parking in other parts of The City, much of it now comes to Bernal. People sleeping in cars, illegal dumping, prostitution. I’ve seen it all.
In a counterpoint to that unnamed witness, area dog walker Toni Woodward tells CBS 5 “I always feel pretty comfortable (in the park)...A lot of us dog owners know each other. I would never think twice about there being any (safety) issues up here. It (discovery of the body) is pretty startling. I always feel it’s a pretty safe neighborhood so I’m pretty shocked.”
Area resident Julian Schuchard was also surprised by the crime, telling the Chron that “This is a really popular park. I’m amazed that something like this would happen. “There are two-million-dollar homes. Generally, everyone is property owners and look out for the area.”
Meanwhile, police announced Wednesday that a man found unresponsive in a Marina District doorway was shot to death, spurring another homicide investigation.
According to a press release sent by police Wednesday, "On Saturday, May 20, 2017 at 12:10 PM, San Francisco Police officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Alhambra Street to do a well-being check on a man sleeping in the doorway of a residence."
Alhambra Street is a short set of blocks that begins just off Fillmore Street and ends at Scott Street.
"Upon arrival," SFPD writes, "the officers found the man unresponsive. Paramedics were summoned to the scene and the man was transported to San Francisco General Hospital where it was determined that he was the victim of a gunshot wound. Despite medical efforts, the man succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
He has since been identified as 32-year-old Kelly G. Freeman, police say, who had "no local address."
Police are circulating the photo of Freeman you see at right, in hopes that seeing him will spark a memory in anyone with information on this case.
Police ask that anyone with information on either homicide contact SFPD's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or Text-A-Tip to TIP411 (847411) and begin the text message with SFPD.