Man shot and killed during San Francisco Gay Pride celebration
Mon. June 28, 2010 6:45 AM by GoPride.com News Staff
San Francisco -
A young man was shot and killed late on Saturday night during San Francisco's Gay Pride celebration; two bystanders were also injured.
Police say that the victim, 19-year-old Stephen Powell, was the intended target and that it was not a hate crime.
The gunfire led to chaos in the Castro District, where hundreds of people were partying in the streets at 11:30 p.m. Officers in riot gear raced to the scene and immediately arrested a 19-year-old suspect.
The two other people who were shot, a 19-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man, were not seriously injured.
City officials said it's unlikely this isolated incident will impact the overall plans for San Francisco's annual Gay Pride celebrations.
"We don't want to be alarmist without any conclusions about one of the city's greatest celebrations with a historically strong record of safety," mayoral spokesman Tony Winnick told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The day after the shooting, the city's 40th annual LGBT Pride Parade went off without a hitch.
Police say that the victim, 19-year-old Stephen Powell, was the intended target and that it was not a hate crime.
The gunfire led to chaos in the Castro District, where hundreds of people were partying in the streets at 11:30 p.m. Officers in riot gear raced to the scene and immediately arrested a 19-year-old suspect.
The two other people who were shot, a 19-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man, were not seriously injured.
City officials said it's unlikely this isolated incident will impact the overall plans for San Francisco's annual Gay Pride celebrations.
"We don't want to be alarmist without any conclusions about one of the city's greatest celebrations with a historically strong record of safety," mayoral spokesman Tony Winnick told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The day after the shooting, the city's 40th annual LGBT Pride Parade went off without a hitch.