It is sometimes hard to believe that the shots that took the life of 19 year old Stephen Powell, that injured two bystanders and threatened the life of hundreds of others, during the Pink Saturday festivities took place almost four years ago in 2010. The memories of that evening and the aftermath remain very fresh in many minds, especially those of the Powell family who lost their family member, and those who were in the immediate vicinity of the gunfire.
Sadly to date, no-one has been called to account in a court of law for the callous and vicious homicide, or for putting so many other lives at risk in the process. An arrest minutes after the shooting which looked promising initially, turned out not to be the shooter, and despite the SFPD vigorously investigating the case at the time, they were frustrated by a lack of witnesses and cooperation by the hundreds of party attendees who must have been in the immediate area of the shooting.
Ken Craig is Chairperson for the SFPD Chief’s LGBT Community Advisory Forum as well as Deputy Chief of Castro Community On Patrol and is working with numerous groups and individuals to bring the case back to the forefront in the hopes that some new evidence may emerge in the case.
“We’d like to reach out to everyone who attended Pink Saturday in June of 2010, and who may still have any video or photographs taken from 11:15 pm to 11:45 pm in the area of the Market Street and Castro Street intersection, or the area of the Chevron gas station,” notes Craig.
“We’d also like to encourage anyone who witnessed the shooting, or the shooter, who may not have been interviewed by police at that time to step forward now and perhaps help to put the killer behind bars.”
“Someone may well have a vital piece of evidence hidden within some video footage or a photograph they have on their flicker or facebook pages from that time, or perhaps stored on their home computer. Simply providing that video footage or photographs may provide the missing link needed to break the case wide open.”
“Police were disappointed at the time to receive so little information and witness testimony from the public, especially at such a large and well attended event where so many people take video and photographs for posterity. As it is a pre-Pride Parade event, it is also very possible that some witnesses and evidence may have left San Francisco as attendees returned home to virtually any part of the US and around the world. If you know of anyone from another city or country who attended Pink Saturday in June 2010 and may have been in that area just prior to or following the shooting, encourage them to contact SFPD.”
“The shooting threatened many lives, injured two bystanders, took Stephen Powell from his family and friends before his time, and marred what should have been a joyous community celebration. We believe it should be a community priority to do all we can to identify the shooter and get them behind bars where they belong.” continued Craig.
If you have any video, photos or information, or if you were a witness to the incident and have remembered something new or never spoke with police at the time, contact them:
CASE #: 100589764 June 27, 2010
SFPD Homicide Unit: 415-553-1145
SFPD 24/7 Operations Center: 415-553-1071
SFPD Anonymous Tip Line: 415-575-4444
If you prefer to submit video, photos or information through a 3rd party independent SFPD Community Partner organization in confidence or anonymity:
SFPD Chief’s LGBT Community Advisory Forum: SFPDLGBTForum@Gmail.com
Castro Community Patrol: 415-ASK-CCOP info@CastroPatrol.org
“There are a number of homicide cases in which the victim was gay or bisexual that remain unresolved for a variety of reasons.” notes Craig.
“The LGBT Forum has been looking at these cases with the SFPD command staff and the Homicide Unit to see if we can assist in drawing more public attention to some of the cases and perhaps help shake a new piece of evidence or a new witness out of the woodwork.”
“Some of these cases are decades old, while others are far more recent but police have exhausted their current leads and lines of inquiry, so the investigations have essentially stalled until new evidence or a new lead emerges.”
“In many older cases, witnesses may have moved away from San Francisco or may have passed away, so as every year passes, the cases become more difficult to solve. The same may well be true of the perpetrators in each case.”
“Our goal is to work collaborative with the SFPD, the media and the public to highlight some specific cases where we feel there is a chance that someone, somewhere may have a key piece of evidence or information that they may not even be aware of.” continued Craig.
“In the murder of Stephen Powell, there were quite literally hundreds of people in the immediate vicinity of Stephen when he was so viciously gunned down, and there were thousands of people in the surrounding area as the shooter made their way through the crowd before the shooting, and as they made their escape after the shooting. Someone, somewhere undoubtedly has cell phone video footage, video camera footage, or photographic images in the area of the Chevron gas station and Market Street at Castro Street which could contain the missing piece of the puzzle for police.”
Video and photographic evidence from surveillance cameras and bystanders unwittingly capturing images of crimes in progress or suspects going to, or leaving from crime scenes are often key in identifying suspects and securing prosecutions. The Boston Marathon bombing incident is perhaps the most recent high profile example of this. Thousands of individuals and companies provided their video and images to the FBI during the investigation, unsure if their submissions would make any significant difference. From the thousands of hours of video and photographs, investigators were able to piece together evidence which ultimately identified the Tsarnev brothers.
More recently in San Francisco, surveillance camera footage and public assistance helped to identify Oakland resident Christopher Porter-Bailey who viciously kicked a woman in the head as she lay on the ground, moments after he had helped steal the victims purse. Having knocked the victim unconscious Porter-Bailey is seen walking away with others in the group he was with. The video caused outrage and Porter-Bailey was quickly identified and arrested. He was recently convicted in San Francisco Superior Court and awaits sentencing which could result in a maximum of eight years in jail.
Once more, if you have any video, photos or information, or if you were a witness to the incident and have remembered something new or never spoke with police at the time of the murder of Stephen Powell, please contact them:
CASE #: 100589764 June 27, 2010
SFPD Homicide Unit: 415-553-1145
SFPD 24/7 Operations Center: 415-553-1071
SFPD Anonymous Tip Line: 415-575-4444
If you prefer to submit video, photos or information through a 3rd party independent SFPD Community Partner organization in confidence or anonymity:
SFPD Chief’s LGBT Community Advisory Forum: SFPDLGBTForum@Gmail.com
Castro Community Patrol: 415-ASK-CCOP info@CastroPatrol.org