Board members, community call for federal investigation after Mario Woods shooting; mayoral office proposes city homicide reward fund
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Summary
After public testimony from Mario Woods’ mother and community leaders, supervisors introduced a resolution requesting an independent federal investigation of the December officer-involved shooting and a separate ordinance to create a permanent city reward fund for unsolved homicides.
San Francisco supervisors and community leaders urged an independent federal investigation into the December shooting death of Mario Woods and introduced city legislation to create a permanent homicide reward fund.
President London Breed introduced legislation to establish a permanent city fund to provide rewards of up to $250,000 “for anyone who brings information that leads to an arrest and conviction in an unsolved murder case,” she said. Breed said the ordinance would set criteria for rewards, including that “the case must have gone unsolved for 1 year, and the department has had to exhaust all investigative leads, and clearly demonstrate a need for public assistance.” Breed added that any award over $100,000 would require Board of Supervisors approval and that the fund could accept private donations.
Breed and Supervisor Malia Cohen co‑introduced a resolution asking the U.S. Department of Justice or another federal authority to conduct an independent investigation into the shooting. At the meeting Breed said the request was intended to secure an “outside independent investigation, preferably from an institution with unimpeachable integrity and the authority to look at the big picture.”
The council meeting drew extensive public comment. Gwen (Miss) Woods, the mother of Mario Woods, told the board she had not received adequate official information and said the aftermath of her son’s death left the family “grieving.” Sean Richard of Brothers Against Guns and Reverend Amos C. Brown, president of the NAACP San Francisco chapter, and Minister Christopher, leader of the Coalition for Justice for Mario Woods, spoke at the dais and urged stronger accountability. Reverend Brown called for steps to restore public trust and for disciplinary or criminal action if officers exceeded lawful force.
Several supervisors, including Campos, Avalos, Kim and Weiner, expressed support for an independent review and for broader reforms to police training and community oversight. Supervisor Campos said a resolution “puts the board of supervisors on record” supporting comprehensive police reforms and that a hearing on use of force issues would be scheduled.
No final vote on either the request for a federal investigation or the reward‑fund ordinance was recorded at the meeting; both measures were introduced and submitted for further action. Breed said a hearing on use of force had been scheduled and that the reward‑fund legislation would be subject to the board’s normal review and appropriation process.
The meeting’s discussion reflected sustained community anger and repeated calls from speakers and some members of the board for criminal charges, suspension of the officers involved, and broader institutional changes to SFPD policies and oversight.
What happens next: The resolution calling for an independent federal investigation and the ordinance to create the homicide reward fund were introduced and submitted to the Board of Supervisors; further committee or calendar steps and any eventual vote were not recorded at the January 12 meeting.
