Robert E. Hooper, a 40-year-old San Francisco Police Department officer, was fatally shot on February 9, 1978 after a traffic stop escalated into a vehicle pursuit. The suspect, a former Napa State Hospital inmate with prior mental health issues, fled, led officers to his home on 48th Avenue between Kirkham and Lawton, and opened fire as officers tried to apprehend him. Hooper died of his wounds; his partner survived.

The suspect was arrested the next day and later claimed no memory of the incident because of alcohol and drugs. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and recommitted to Napa State Hospital, then was deemed sane and released on December 22, 1983. Hooper had 14 years’ service with the department and left a wife, a son, and two daughters. Questions about the handling and release of someone with severe mental illness followed this case.

Did anyone who knew Officer Hooper or the neighborhood around 48th Avenue have information about that night?