Pacifica Man ID'd in Deadly SFPD Shooting, Accused of Shooting Officer in Head

PACIFICA, CA – A 26-year-old Pacifica man has been identified by police as the alleged shooter in a San Francisco Police confrontation that left an SFPD officer partially paralyzed.

Pacifica resident Nicholas McWherter ultimately died following the shooting that occurred Friday in the city's Lake Shore neighborhood. Police shot him after he had first shot an officer in the head, according to San Francisco police.

The incident unfolded around 8:15 p.m., when officers responded to the Lakeshore Plaza Shopping Center at 1501 Sloat Blvd. for a report of a man causing a disturbance and making threats, according to police.

When officers encountered the man in the first block of Everglade Drive, he fired several shots toward the officers, striking one officer in the head, police said.

The injured officer's partner provided him first aid and requested backup while other officers responded to the area, according to police.

McWherter then ran toward Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, police said. He came out of the bushes at 28th Avenue and Vicente Street and tried to run away. Officers chased and shot him, causing him to fall to the ground, according to police.

McWherter then held his gun to his chest and refused to surrender. Using flash-bang devices to distract him, officers were ultimately able to arrest him. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment but
died from his injuries around 3 p.m. Sunday, according to a hospital spokesman.

ABC7 reports McWherter had a P.O. Box in Pacifica, but had recently been living out of a van in San Francisco. The man had reportedly struggled with mental health issues in the past, according to the news outlet.

The injured officer was also taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was listed in critical but stable condition as of Saturday, police said.

Interim police Chief Toney Chaplin said Saturday that the officer underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments from his brain and has been left partially paralyzed on one side of his body.

"One centimeter down and this may have been a fatality for the officer," Chaplin said.

The injured officer has been with the department for two years and had been assigned to the department's Taraval Station, according to Chaplin.

The San Francisco Police Department will hold a town hall meeting Thursday to give residents more information about the shooting. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center at 2850 19th Ave., police said.

– Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Image via Shutterstock.