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Reports of an active shooter at a San Francisco Pride event are “without merit,” police said. San Francisco Police released a press statement saying they responded to the area after receiving shooting reports, but they were unable to locate any victims or witnesses.
“On 6/26/22 at 5:25 pm, @SFPD officers near SF Pride Festival responded 7th & Market for report of shooting. Officers weren’t able to locate any victims/witnesses. Doesn’t appear to be merit to shooting in area, officers remain on scene to ensure safety/ security of Pride events,” the statement said.
Social media users who were at the event Sunday, June 26, 2022, reported people were running and some believed there was a shooting, while others said there were false reports that caused people to flee.
“Luckily it wasn’t an active shooter; it seemed like some sort of a fight triggered people to start fleeing from a part of the Pride celebration,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Here’s what you need to know:
Video Shows People Fleeing at San Francisco Pride Event
A video shows people running down the street during a Pride event, and social media users said people were shouting that there was a shooter and telling people to hide or run.
The person who took the video said he was eating when a person began yelling that there was a shooter. He was unsure what triggered the panic, he wrote.
“Not sure where the source of the panic was exactly, I was just eating chili fries at the Shovel bar and saw people running so I started recording. Someone ran in screaming SHOOTER SHOOTER BOMB and the likes,” he wrote on Twitter.
Another person wrote in a reply that someone went into the bar yelling that there was a shooter, and told everyone inside to hide.
“Someone came into our bar yelling at everyone there was an active shooter and to hide in the back rooms! So yea, we’re speaking with the information we were frantically given,” a person wrote in a reply on the video.
Reports Caused Fear for Loved Ones at Home & a Similar Incident Occurred Around the Same Time in New York City
One person wrote on Twitter that he received a panicked phone call from his partner and believed there was a shooting.
“I’m so scared. My partner just called and said he was in the middle of a shooting at pride in San Francisco…. He said everyone is running and he couldn’t talk.. my god I don’t know what to do!” he wrote.
Another person responded to the tweet, saying she was in the area and did not see a shooter.
“i’m downtown where it supposedly happened rn, everything seems to have calmed down, i don’t know how long ago he called you but i think the situations under control as of now,” the reply said.
Another person speculated in a reply that it was fireworks which triggered the panic.
“My partner and I were close to where the loud booms went off,” the reply said. “Near Westfield. It was fireworks. Some idiot/s lighting explosive fireworks likely to scare people. It happened about 4-5 times, shortly after a fire truck would drive by.”
A similar incident occurred on the East Coast at about the same time. A Pride event at Washington Square Park in New York City turned chaotic after fireworks sent crowds of people running, according to PIX 11. Police told the news station they investigated reports of a shooting and determined fireworks caused the panic.