A 15-year-old and a 14-year-old are in custody for the Wednesday night shooting of a security guard at the Japantown mall, who was declared dead at the scene shortly after SFPD arrived.

It appears San Francisco has suffered its first homicide of 2023. The Chronicle reports that a security guard was shot and killed near the Japan Center mall late Wednesday afternoon, and two unnamed teens are in custody; one on suspicion of murder, and the other on suspicion of accessory to murder.  

According to a release from SFPD, “On January 4, 2023, at approximately 5:07 p.m., San Francisco Police officers from Northern Station responded to the 1500 block of Webster St. regarding a shooting. Officers located an adult male victim, who was a security guard, suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers rendered aid and summoned medics to the scene. Despite the lifesaving efforts of emergency responders, the victim succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased at the scene. “

The Chronicle has the additional information, from a preliminary incident summary, that “the victim was ‘involved in a dispute’ outside a collectibles shop at 1581 Webster Street near Geary Boulevard. The guard was escorting somebody at the moment an assailant shot him in the head.”

Because they are minors, the names of the two suspects are not being released. But per the SFPD release, “investigators located two juvenile males and developed probable cause to arrest them.” The 15-year-old was arrested for murder, while the 14-year-old was arrested on accessory to murder charges. Both have been booked into the Juvenile Justice Center.

Even though they’ve made two arrests, SFPD still considers this an active investigation. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with “SFPD.” Tipsters can remain anonymous.  

Related: SF Sees Exact Same Number of Homicides In 2022 As Previous Year, While Burglaries Are Down [SFist]

Image: Google Street View