A man flashed a gun several times on a crowded commuter train in San
Francisco, but passengers were so absorbed in their phones and tablets
they didn't notice until he randomly shot and killed a university
student, authorities said.
Security video footage showed the
gunman pull out the .45-caliber pistol, raise it and point it across the
aisle before putting it back against his side, authorities told the media in a story on Monday.
The man drew the gun several more times and once wiped his nose with the hand holding the weapon.
"These
weren't concealed movements — the gun is very clear," District Attorney
George Gascon said. "These people are in very close proximity with him,
and nobody sees this. They're just so engrossed, texting and reading
and whatnot. They're completely oblivious of their surroundings."
Authorities declined a request by The Associated Press for the surveillance footage, citing an ongoing investigation.
San Francisco police officials say people who pay too much attention to digital technology are also vulnerable to theft.
"Oftentimes
when you interview people who get their phones stolen, when you ask
them to describe where the person came from, what he was wearing, they
have no idea," said police Chief Greg Suhr.
Photo: San Francisco Police Department
Suspect Nikhom Thephakaysone from a surveillance video on a MUNI train in San Francisco.
Nikhom Thephakaysone,
30, has pleaded not guilty to charges
including murder in the Sept. 23
attack on Justin Valdez, 20, a student at San Francisco State University
who was shot in the back of the head as he left the train.
Thephakaysone
also has been charged with assault with a semi-automatic handgun.
Prosecutors said he stuck a handgun in another man's back earlier the
same night he shot Valdez as he looked for a victim.
He did not
pull the trigger and went on the hunt again for a victim for more than
an hour, at one point waving a gun outside a Thai restaurant, Assistant
District Attorney Scot Clark has said.
He was also charged with
illegally possessing an assault weapon after police said they seized two
such rifles, combat knives and razors at his home.
Police said he was carrying $20,000 in cash when he was arrested.
Atlanta high school cheerleader Mikayla Clark broke the Guinness World
Record for most consecutive back handsprings on Friday when she
completed 44 in a row at Westlake High School's homecoming game.
