Twin Peaks killers robbed victim, fled in gray Honda

A 71-year-old man shot and killed at San Francisco’s Twin Peaks lookout Sunday morning appears to have been robbed of a camera in the shooting, police said.

Witnesses told police that Edward French, a San Francisco resident, was approached on foot by two people, a male and a female, at the popular viewpoint around 7:50 a.m., according to Officer Robert Rueca.

The witnesses reported hearing a single gunshot before the two suspects ran to a vehicle and drove away from the scene, Rueca said.

A jogger in the area found French unconscious on the ground and began administering CPR. A marked patrol car passing through the area saw him and came to his aid, calling for an ambulance, police said.

French was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was found to have suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body.

The suspects are described as a man believed to be 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds with shoulder-length dreadlocks, and a female 17 or 18 years old who is 5 feet 3 inches tall and 120 pounds.

They were seen driving a dark gray Honda Accord with rear-end damage.

Rueca said earlier Monday that there are surveillance cameras in the area, but police did not say as of this afternoon whether they have recovered video of the shooting or the suspects.

The last homicide at the Twin Peaks lookout took place on Valentine’s Day last year, when two Santa Rosa residents, Julio Peraza, 21, and Rene Mora, 19, were killed and a third person injured in a 2 a.m. shooting.

Richmond resident Richard Contreras, 28, was arrested in the case and faces multiple felony charges including murder, attempted murder, carjacking and vehicle theft. He remains in custody without bail and his next court date is Aug. 4.

Rueca said police are aware of a recent rash of auto burglaries in the area.

In response to public security concerns,uniformed police officers will be posted to the Twin Peaks area 24/7 until further notice, Rueca said.

Police are asking anyone with relevant photos or videos of the shooting or the suspects to call the SFPD Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and start the message with “SFPD.”