Kenneth Harding, a parolee from Washington state who was shot to death by San Francisco police on July 17, 2011, as he allegedly fired at officers.

Related Content

San Francisco Police recover gun from fatal shooting

View

The man shot and killed by San Francisco police after he allegedly fired at them during a foot chase in Bayview-Hunters Point was identified Monday as a Washington state parolee sought for questioning in the slaying last week of a woman in Seattle.

Kenneth Harding, 19, who was killed Saturday afternoon, was paroled in April from prison in Washington after serving time for an incident in Seattle in which he tried to force a 14-year-old girl into prostitution, court records show.

Seattle police were seeking Harding as a person of interest in a shooting Wednesday that killed 19-year-old Tanaya Gilbert and wounded three others, authorities said. Gilbert, a community college student, was hit by a bullet intended for someone else, a relative said Sunday.

In San Francisco, Harding was stopped at 4:44 p.m. Saturday by two uniformed officers who, while patrolling Third Street between Oakdale and Palou avenues, were conducting a fare inspection on a Muni light rail platform.

When the officers tried to talk to Harding, he ran into Mendell Plaza and fired a gun from under his arm, police said.

The officers fired back, hitting Harding, police said. Their names have not been released. Police Greg Suhr said both have been placed on routine administrative leave while the shooting is under investigation.

At a news conference, police officials said ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection and location system, had recorded 10 shots fired in the area over the course of six seconds – one at first, followed 1.9 seconds later by nine in rapid succession. The technology cannot determine which shots came from which guns.

Police say witnesses told them they saw the muzzle fire from Harding’s gun, although at least one man interviewed at the scene Monday said he had not seen Harding firing.

An amateur video has surfaced online showing the mortally wounded Harding and what appears to be a gun on the pavement nearby. The weapon disappeared from the scene, but Suhr said informants had provided information that led to a parolee’s house in the Bayview, where police found a .45-caliber pistol that they think was Harding’s.

The gun is a different caliber from the one used in the Seattle slaying, Suhr said. Tests are under way to determine whether it was fired recently and whether there was gunshot residue on Harding’s hand, police said.

After the officers shot Harding, they were unsure if he still held the gun or if it was elsewhere, Suhr said. The video shows them pointing their guns at Harding on the ground, and Suhr said they were asking him to show his hands.

An angry crowd formed, and several bullet casings in addition to the gun disappeared, the chief said. Only one casing was found at the scene, he said.

Protesters and Bayview residents gathered Monday afternoon at Third and Oakdale, where flowers, balloons and a teddy bear marked the spot where Harding died.

Bayview resident Henry Taylor said he had seen the shooting and that Harding had not shot at police.

“What I saw was a young man running for his life,” Taylor said.

Some held up pictures of Oscar Grant, the unarmed man shot to death by a BART police officer in 2009, and signs reading, “The system has failed us.”

“Justice doesn’t look like this,” said Tiyesha Phillips, 54. “Justice isn’t killing a man because he doesn’t have the fare or a ticket. Justice isn’t a man shot six times.”

Harding violated his parole by leaving Washington state, where court records show that he was convicted in Seattle last year of trying to pimp a 14-year-old girl.

Harding drove the girl to the north side of downtown Seattle in January 2010, waved what he called “ho money” at her and told her she had to engage in prostitution if she wanted a ride home, police said. When she refused, Harding drove off.

The girl told police, who arrested Harding at his home.

Harding pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 22 months in April 201o. Prosecutors dismissed a charge alleging that Harding had engaged in oral sex with the girl when she was 13 and he was on home detention for armed robbery.

In a pre-sentencing memorandum, his attorney wrote, “Kenneth Harding looks forward to re-enrolling in community college upon his release from custody. He recognizes that his former lifestyle does not provide long-term choices and has used the time for reflection and development of plans for the future.”

Chronicle staff writer Jaxon Van Derbeken contributed to this report.

Similar Posts:

Share