San Francisco is deploying around-the-clock police patrols along a prominent downtown corridor after three shootings in three days threatened to undercut the city's effort to shed its national reputation for street disorder and revive its struggling urban core.
The shootings occurred within roughly two blocks of Market Street, the city's main downtown artery, where office vacancies, open-air drug use and concerns about public safety have complicated San Francisco's economic recovery since the pandemic.
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Police Chief Derrick Lew said the department would increase foot patrols and send tactical and other specialized units to the Mid-Market area through Aug. 3.
Investigators believe the shootings were isolated and unrelated, he said.
"We had shooting incidents on Friday, then on Saturday, and then on Monday," Lew said in a video posted by Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. "So, truly concerning for us. A lot of good leads with those investigations. We've been working around the clock."
The concentrated burst of violence poses an early test for Mayor Daniel Lurie, who took office in 2025 promising to make downtown cleaner and safer and restore confidence in a city that became a national symbol in debates over crime, homelessness, drug use and progressive governance.
Lurie has sought to present San Francisco as a city in recovery, pointing to falling crime, renewed investment and more coordinated enforcement downtown. His administration has expanded police and street services in heavily visited areas, including Market Street, Union Square and the convention district.
The latest shootings came even though citywide crime remains significantly lower than it was a year ago.
San Francisco recorded 13,268 major violent and property crimes from Jan. 1 through July 26, down nearly 19% from the same period in 2025, according to police data.
Robberies were down 18.5%, burglaries fell 24% and larceny theft declined 19.1%. Assaults were down 1.5%, while homicides increased from 14 to 16.
The figures illustrate a tension confronting cities across the country: Crime can fall broadly while a small number of highly visible incidents still shape how residents, commuters and visitors perceive safety.
"We know that people, residents, people who are doing business there do not feel safe right now," Lew said of the downtown Market Street corridor. "We're addressing that."
Officials have released few details about the first shooting, which Lew said occurred Friday.
Just before 1 a.m. Saturday, four men were wounded near Market and Mason streets after they apparently tried to intervene in an argument between a man and a woman, police said. Investigators said the man shot the four bystanders and fled.
The victims were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Police had not announced an arrest in that case.
The third shooting occurred shortly before 3 p.m. Monday near Market and Jones streets, several blocks from City Hall and some of downtown's busiest transit stops.
Officers patrolling the area heard gunfire and found a person with life-threatening injuries, police said. The suspected gunman fled on foot.
Police later arrested three San Francisco men in connection with the shooting.
Lew said investigators have strong leads in all three cases and expect additional arrests.
The department's response includes 24-hour foot patrols coordinated with its Special Operations Bureau and tactical units. Police said officers would concentrate on Mid-Market and other nearby locations identified as crime hot spots.
The city has not said how many officers will be added, whether they will be reassigned from other neighborhoods or whether the operation could continue beyond Aug. 3.
Meanwhile, downtown San Francisco has struggled to regain workers and businesses after the shift to remote work emptied offices and weakened the network of restaurants, retailers and transit systems that depended on daily commuters.
Highly visible drug markets and people in behavioral health crises further damaged perceptions of the city, particularly among people watching from outside the Bay Area.
Lurie has argued that safer streets are essential to the city's economic comeback. His administration has expanded coordinated policing and cleaning efforts and promoted new investments intended to bring more residents, shoppers and visitors downtown.
Mahmood said the recent violence requires both arrests and a visible police presence that reassures the public.
"We have to still make sure the community feels safe," he said.
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This article originally published at San Francisco floods Market Street with police after 3 shootings in 3 days.