Mario Woods, 26, was fatally shot by San Francisco police Wednesday. Woods reportedly was wielding a knife in the city's Bayview neighborhood when several officers opened fire. His death was captured on video, and a 15-second clip of the moment before the shooting has been circulated online.
On Monday, San Francisco's police chief, Greg Suhr, called for Tasers to be added to police officers' arsenals, adding that Woods' death could have been prevented if officers had been armed with a nonlethal option, the Associated Press reports.
Suhr reportedly asked the city to arm officers with Tasers some two years ago but withdrew the proposal amid police-commission backlash. Tasers release an electrical jolt that is supposed to briefly incapacitate suspects, AP reports.
Opponents of Tasers say that while the weapon is said to be nonlethal, the shock can cause harmful damage and, in some cases, kill the person on which it's used. Also, because police-issued Tasers are shaped like service weapons, officers can reach for their guns, believing them to be the Tasers, and accidentally shoot suspects they intended to shock, AP reports.
Video of Woods' death sparked outrage in the majority-black Bayview community, and many community leaders have called for Suhr's resignation.
According to AP, the five officers involved in Woods' death have been placed on leave without pay, pending the department's investigation. Suhr noted that the San Francisco district attorney is investigating the incident and added that the officers' identities would be revealed by "the end of the week," AP reports.
Read more at the Associated Press.