David Haughton

Do you know who killed David Haughton in 2000?
David Haughton, a 32-year-old African-American man, was a father of two young children who was looking forward to a future with his girlfriend. Remembered as a good person by those who knew him, his life was violently cut short in a targeted attack on Halloween night, a time when families and children filled the streets of his Daly City, California, neighborhood. His death left his loved ones devastated and a community shaken by the brutal and public nature of the crime.

The evening of October 31, 2000, was filled with the festive sounds of trick-or-treating in the Westlake District. As darkness fell, David was driving his Range Rover to his girlfriend's residence. As he made his way along the 400 block of Northaven Drive, another vehicle suddenly pulled up, blocking his path. Two men exited the car while a third person remained in the driver's seat, waiting. The two men confronted David, forcing him out of his own vehicle. A terrifying chase ensued as David ran for his life down the street. One of the pursuers caught up to him and shot him numerous times at close range. The assailants then jumped into David's Range Rover and sped away from the scene, leaving him for dead on the pavement.

The Daly City Police Department responded to the scene of the shooting, launching an immediate homicide investigation. The brazenness of the attack, carried out during peak trick-or-treat hours on a residential street, suggested a deliberate and planned execution. Detectives determined that David was specifically targeted by his killers, though a motive for the ambush has never been publicly released. The day after the murder, David's stolen Range Rover was discovered abandoned in St. Mary's Park, a neighborhood in the Bernal Heights section of San Francisco, several miles from the crime scene. The vehicle was processed for evidence, but the suspects had vanished.

In the years that followed, the investigation into David Haughton's murder grew cold. Despite the efforts of Daly City police, no suspects have ever been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made. The case is one of several unsolved homicides from that era that the department continues to highlight, hoping that someone with a critical piece of information will finally come forward. The identities of the three individuals involved in the ambush—the two men who chased and shot David, and the getaway driver who waited—remain a mystery. The questions of who wanted David dead and why they chose such a violent and public method to kill him are still unanswered.

David's family and friends were left to grieve a man taken from them without warning or reason. His children were forced to grow up without their father, and the community was left with the memory of a holiday celebration shattered by gunfire. The passage of time has not diminished the need for justice for David and closure for his loved ones.

As of today, the murder of David Haughton remains an open and unsolved case. The Daly City Police Department continues to seek information from the public that could help them identify the men responsible for this brutal crime. Anyone who may have seen something on Northaven Drive that Halloween night, or who has any information at all related to the case, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is urged to contact the department. Information can be provided to Lieutenant Lee Aquila at (650) 991-8169.