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San Francisco police shoot man carrying replica gun

The man killed outside a San Francisco police station had asked officers earlier about police-involved shootings, the department said.

By Frances Burns

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- A man was shot and killed outside a San Francisco police station as he drew what proved to be a replica gun from his waistband, investigators said.

The 32-year-old man first attracted the attention of officers at the Mission District Station shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday because he was in the parking lot, which is closed to the public. Officers said he stayed put when he was asked to leave.

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"They found this curious, approached him and told him again he can't be there," Police Chief Greg Suhr said. "He went to his waistband, where there was the butt of a gun, and drew a weapon. Two sergeants fired and hit him three times."

Suhr said the parking lot is restricted, but because the gate is kept open trespassers are common and are generally told to leave.

The police department said in a news release that the same man approached two Mission District officers earlier in the day while they were on a call. He asked them about the guns the San Francisco department uses and about officer-involved shootings like the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

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Joann Kuhl, who lives a few blocks from the Mission District station told the San Francisco Chronicle she fears the shooting will "fuel the fire of a really bad state of affairs between police and their community." The District is a mixture of trendy bars and restaurants, Central American immigrants and a significant number of homeless people with festivals ranging from a parade honoring Farmworkers Union founder Cesar Chavez to the Hunky Jesus Contest organized by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

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