Police: Robbery not motive in SF store killings

First Posted: 7/14/2013

(AP) A bloodied gunman suspected of killing two women and seriously wounding a man inside a jewelry store at a popular shopping center had visited the store at least once before, and investigators don’t believe that robbery was a motive for the attack, police said Saturday.

San Francisco police identified the suspect as 23-year-old Barry White of Antioch.

White was arrested after opening fire on officers Friday afternoon. He’s been booked on two counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder, police said in a statement on Saturday.

Officers encountered him outside the San Francisco Giftcenter & Jewelrymart in the trendy South of Market area. Initially, the officers weren’t sure if the man, who had blood on his clothes, was a shooting victim or a suspect. The man then opened fire at officers while retreating into a restaurant, according to police.

“The suspect fired additional multiple rounds at the officers and then, we believe, ran out of ammunition, threw the gun on the ground and surrendered,” police Chief Greg Suhr said on Friday.

Officers didn’t return fire because the sidewalks were crowded with shoppers and residents.

Inside the shopping center, officers found two women dead and a man injured with gunshot and stab wounds at the Victoga jewelry shop. One woman was shot and the other was stabbed with a knife, police said.

A gun and a knife were recovered from the scene. Police spokesman Gordon Shyy said a semi-automatic rifle was found in the back seat of White’s car.

The women were identified by the city medical examiner’s office as Khin Min, 35, of San Francisco, and Lina Lim, 51, of Daly City, both of whom worked at the store. The man, who was the shop’s owner, was in critical condition Saturday.

The suspect, who police believe acted alone, was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said that White had conducted at least one business transaction at the store before Friday’s attack.

The shopping center is just blocks from the Hall of Justice, which is the home of San Francisco Superior Court, a jail and police headquarters. Several tech companies, including online game maker Zynga, are also in the neighborhood.