Alex Nieto was a 28 year old City College student and security guard who was shot and killed by the San Francisco Police Department at around 7:30pm on March 21st, 2014 while in Bernal Hill Park. Alex was a Bernal Heights resident and grew up in the neighborhood.
Alex's death sparked a wave of discussion about the possible role of gentrification on the police department's response, as Alex was Latino in a neighborhood quickly undergoing gentrification. In the first statement issued by the SFPD, on March 21st, it was said that officers arrived in response to "911 calls of a male subject with a gun" and that police had "encountered a male subject with a weapon." During an interview with the Chronicle, Deputy Police Chief Lyn Tomioka said that Alex "appeared to draw a weapon."
Alex's friends and witnesses suggested that he was carrying a stun-gun used in his work as a security guard, as he had just completed his shift. Records indicate that Nieto had a current permit to carry a baton.
See also
- "SFPD to answer questions in fatal shooting of Alex Nieto"
- "Man killed by S.F. police was 'inspiration' but had troubles"
- "The Murder of Alex Nieto by SFPD and Scared Gentrifiers (Town Hall Meeting)"
- "SFPD-enforced gentrification killed Alex Nieto" with footage of the SFPD Town Hall