Man Charged In Fatal Shooting Of Nonprofit Worker Outside SF Main Library

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A man has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a nonprofit worker outside the San Francisco Main Library last month.

Edmund Bowen is accused of shooting a man with a shotgun in the 100 block of Larkin Street, the afternoon of Sept. 26. The man, who was identified in a San Francisco Chronicle report as Joey Alexander, died days later at a hospital, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

Alexander had asked Bowen to stop using drugs outside the San Francisco Main Library that afternoon, according to the report.

Prosecutors say Bowen pulled out a shotgun and fired it at Alexander from about 20 feet away, striking him in the leg. A second person was also hit by shrapnel, they added.

Bowen was arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after, authorities said. Officers found a short-barreled shotgun and two shells when they arrested him, according to the SFPD.

Bowen is now facing one count each of murder, assault with a firearm and possession of a deadly weapon, prosecutors said. Prosecutors also filed additional enhancements accusing Bowen of personally and intentionally discharging a firearm in the commission of the murder and that he personally and intentionally used a deadly weapon in the commission of the assault.

Alexander, according to the San Francisco Chronicle report, was working for the nonprofit Urban Alchemy when he was killed.

Urban Alchemy is a nonprofit that addresses public safety issues, helps clean streets and maintains public restrooms. It was founded in late 2018 and often employs formerly incarcerated people, intending to create new pathways as they reintegrate into their communities, according to the nonprofit.