Mourning in the 'hood

They weren't shot, but they are no less dead. And there was a gun and shooter ...

A San Francisco man charged with killing two people with his car while fleeing from police in the Mission District was on probation for participating in a criminal street gang, the district attorney's office said Friday.

David Morales, 19, was convicted in April 2012 in San Mateo County for gang activity, said San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón. Prosecutors say Morales is a member of the Norteños.

Police arrested Morales on New Year's Day after he allegedly ran a red light and slammed his black Chevrolet Impala into a Toyota sedan in the intersection of 21st Street and South Van Ness Avenue at about 8 a.m.

The impact of the collision sent the Toyota spinning into a pedestrian, Francisco Gutierrez, 26, of San Francisco. He was killed.

Also killed in the crash was Silvia Tuncun, 29, of San Francisco, who was a passenger in the Toyota. The driver, an 18-year-old man, is still in the hospital in serious condition.

Investigators said Morales had just driven through the Valencia Gardens housing complex at 14th and Guerrero streets and fired a gun at three young men. None of them was injured.

… In addition to two counts of murder, Morales is charged with three counts of attempted murder for the shooting at Valencia Gardens. He is also accused of evading police, participating in a criminal street gang and being a felon in possession of a handgun.

San Francisco Chronicle

I walked by the crash site today.


The neighborhood grieves.


At the taqueria tonight, there's a collection box by the cash register:

Francisco's friends are raising funds to send his body home to his native Honduras. Collection boxes like this show up several times a year at Mission stores. This can be a dangerous place to come for work.