Darrelle Scales, 44, was fatally shot on August 19, 2020, in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. Officers found Scales on the sidewalk in the 800 block of O’Farrell Street suffering from a gunshot wound; despite immediate life-saving efforts he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation resulted in the arrest of 31-year-old Robert Brewer, who was charged with murder. Brewer’s defense said he mistakenly approached a vehicle he believed to be his rental car, that Scales threatened him and then followed him for more than two blocks, and that Brewer shot after seeing Scales reach for what appeared to be a shiny object in his waistband. It was later reported Scales had an 18-inch metal pipe in his possession. The defense presented Brewer’s upbringing in a violent environment and said he carried a gun for protection; a jury acquitted Brewer, accepting a self-defense argument.

Scales’ family described him as a positive and uplifting person and called his death senseless. Does anyone have information about Scales’ final movements or witnessed the incident on O’Farrell Street?