San Francisco police arrested a city resident last week and charged him with numerous gun-related charges connected to the shooting in the Castro on Halloween night. Nine people suffered gun-related injuries while a 10th victim was trampled in the melee that marred the annual street party.
According to police department spokesman Sergeant Neville Gittens, Ralph Hampton, 20, was arrested November 9 for possession of stolen property. Nine counts of assault with a deadly weapon that Hampton initially faced have been dropped, for now, as police continue to investigate the incident, said Gittens.
Hampton appeared in court Tuesday, November 14 and pleaded not guilty to four felony counts of possessing a stolen weapon Halloween night, according to a report in the San Francisco Examiner. His lawyer is quoted as telling the judge that the charges "stem out of the Castro incident but this is not part of the shooting."
Gittens said police have yet to identify the true owner of the gun and would not say if Hampton was indeed the shooter that night since the case is ongoing. According to the Examiner, no witnesses have come forward to identify the gunman, and the police are trying to determine if shell casings found at the scene match the firearm found on Hampton. Gittens did not rule out the possibility that more people could be arrested for their involvement in the shooting that night.
"He is the only person arrested so far. The case is still open and the investigation is ongoing," Gittens told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview Wednesday, November 15.
The shooting occurred around 10:41 p.m. Halloween night on the 2200 block of Market Street minutes after city officials had shut down a nearby entertainment stage and were attempting to clear out the crowd. Police contend two groups of revelers "got into one of those stare downs," said Gittens, and after one person was reportedly hit on the head with a bottle, gunshots rang out.
Gittens declined to answer if Hampton was the person hit in the head since the investigation is ongoing. While some have speculated the incident was gang-related, Gittens said Hampton is not a member of a gang.