San Francisco Police Chief Forced to Step Down After Cop Kills Unarmed Black Woman

By Kenrya Rankin May 20, 2016

San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr finally gave his critics what they’ve been clamoring for: his resignation.

The SFGate.com reports that yesterday (May 19), Mayor Ed Lee asked Suhr to resign and he complied. The decision came just hours after a police officer shot and killed an unarmed 27-year-old Black woman who was attempting to drive away in a stolen car. It’s the city’s eighth police-involved shooting in two years, forming a track record that has prompted city leadership and activists to lobby for Suhr’s dismissal.

“The past several months have shaken and divided our city, and tensions between law enforcement and communities of color that have simmered for too many years have come into full view,” Lee said in a press conference. “The progress we’ve made has been meaningful, but it hasn’t been fast enough. Not for me, not for Greg. That’s why I have asked Chief Suhr for his resignation.”

Lee appointed Suhr in 2011 and has previously said that he had no intention of firing the top cop. Deputy Chief Toney Chaplin—a Black, 26-year veteran of the force—will step in as acting chief.

(H/t KTVU)