Man Killed in SFPD Officer-Involved Shooting Identified

Updated May 4 at 4:30 p.m.

At least one San Francisco police officer shot and killed a white male while he was stabbing an Asian man on the 900 block of Market Street, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man who was fatally shot as 26-year-old Nicholas Flusche. The medical examiner's office did not identify a fixed local address for Flusche.

Two uniformed SFPD officers were on a foot beat at approximately 11:22 a.m. when they observed the stabbing, Scott said.

It is unclear if one or both officers were involved in the shooting, which took place between Fifth and Sixth streets. Scott said the SFPD homicide and internal affairs division, the Department of Police Accountability, the San Francisco District Attorney's Independent Investigation Bureau and the Medical Examiner's Office are investigating the shooting.

"The loss of life is tragic, and it doesn’t matter how it happened. It’s tragic," Scott said.

The stabbing victim was treated and released from San Francisco General Hospital late Wednesday, according to SFPD.

This is the first fatal officer-involved shooting by San Francisco police this year. A man was wounded, but survived, a shooting by an SFPD officer on Jan. 6.

Three people were killed by SFPD officers in 2016. San Francisco officers fatally shot six people in 2015 and three people in 2014.

Former SFPD Chief Greg Suhr resigned in May 2016 following a series of controversial and deadly officer-involved shootings and multiple racist and homophobic text message scandals emerging from San Francisco police officers.

Scott stepped into the role as chief on Jan 23.

KQED's Cesar Saldaña, Alex Emslie and the Associated Press contributed to this report.