San Francisco police officers have arrested a suspect in the August 2023 fatal shooting of Damien González, an 18-year-old who was playing basketball with friends at the Mission Recreation Center when he was gunned down on the second floor.
González had graduated from Civic Center Secondary School the year before, but had spent most of his high school years at John O’Connell High School, around the corner from the gym. He was together with his school friends on Aug. 18 when a young man wearing a ski mask and hoodie targeted him, according to sources. He was shot multiple times and died on-scene, according to his family; he was declared deceased at the hospital.
The San Francisco Police Department said that, last week, officers arrested Antonio Malik Rodgers-Alcala, 21, a resident of Daly City, for the shooting, after an investigation. Rodgers-Alcala was booked on Dec. 28, 2023, on suspicion of murder and carrying a loaded firearm. He is still in jail, according to the Sheriff’s Office, and is being held without the possibility of bail.
The department said that, in executing a search warrant in Daly City, Rodgers-Alcala “attempted to run away, but was quickly apprehended.” The department added that its officers searched his residence and “seized evidence related to the homicide.”
González was an emerging leader in the Mission District: He had been active in the Latino Task Force during the pandemic, and continued to play a role in neighborhood nonprofits, going to City Hall weeks before his killing to push for increased city spending in the district. He was an aspiring entrepreneur, and created a clothing line called “Born Broke, Die Rich,” making sweatshirts and T-shirts featuring his own designs.
He was also awaiting a child: His girlfriend was pregnant at the time of his killing, and supporters set up a fundraiser to help with the expecting mother’s childcare costs. The baby was due in October.
His family described him as the joy of the household, and said he was a family man, helping to take care of his uncle after a surgery, for instance. He was, they said, a light, jovial presence.
“He was always happy, happy, happy,” his grandmother said at the time “He never had an angry expression.”
Rest in peace. Your short life meant something and was not wasted. Hopefully your murder will not go unpunished. You will not be forgotten.