Officer James Louis Guelff of the San Francisco Police Department was killed on November 13, 1994, while responding to a carjacking suspect near Pine Street and Franklin Street. The suspect had carjacked a vehicle in Mountain View and driven to San Francisco; when Guelff approached the suspect’s vehicle he was struck by gunfire from a semi-automatic rifle. Despite being critically wounded, Guelff returned fire and attempted to reload his weapon.

The shooter, identified as Victor Boutwell, was heavily armed and wearing a ballistic helmet and a flak jacket. He carried hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a police scanner, gunpowder, fuses, and vials of painkillers. San Francisco SWAT arrived and a police sniper fatally shot Boutwell after he had also wounded another officer, a paramedic, and a civilian. No further arrests were made.

Officer Guelff’s death was honored by colleagues and the community. Does anyone have memories of Officer Guelff or information about the events that night?