Mario Woods had 20 bullet wounds, drugs in system, autopsy shows

A woman holds a photo of Mario Woods at San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015. A woman holds a photo of Mario Woods at San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015. Photo: Santiago Mejia, Special To The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Santiago Mejia, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Mario Woods had 20 bullet wounds, drugs in system, autopsy shows 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

Mario Woods suffered 20 gunshot wounds, many of them from behind, when he was killed by San Francisco police officers in December, according to an autopsy report that also indicated the presence of methamphetamine, marijuana, antidepressants and cough medicine in his system.

The report by Chief Medical Examiner Michael Hunter, released Thursday, found the cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds, including to Woods’ head, back, abdomen, buttocks, legs and hands.

The autopsy report provides more insight into a shooting that remains under investigation and which garnered nationwide attention after video of the Dec. 2 encounter in the Bayview neighborhood was posted to social media.

Police officials said five officers who shot Woods did their best while trying to subdue a stabbing suspect who still had the knife and refused to comply with commands even after being hit with pepper spray and beanbag rounds. But Woods’ relatives and others said officers recklessly used deadly force on a person who did not directly threaten them.

The video of the shooting showed one officer stepping in front of Woods, who was 26, as he shuffled along a wall, with the gunfire coming moments later from officers who had surrounded Woods. The report lists Woods as 5-foot-9, 156 pounds.

It is unclear exactly how many bullets struck Woods. While the autopsy found 20 clear bullet wounds and one additional “probable gunshot graze wound” to Woods’ right cheek, it’s possible that some individual bullets caused multiple wounds. Investigators found at least 27 bullet-shell casings at the scene, according to the report.

“Based on a review of the autopsy report alone, there are 21 total gunshot wounds to the body and 11 of these are perforating, meaning they went through the body,” said Judy Melinek, a board-certified forensic pathologist and author unaffiliated with the case. “The 21 gunshot wounds could have been caused by a maximum of 21 or a minimum of 10 projectiles.”

In 16 of the wounds, the trajectory of the bullet as it struck Woods was described as “back to front,” though the report does not provide a sequence for the shots, and it’s not clear how many of them were fired from behind. One of the “back to front” wounds was to Woods’ right index finger.

Melinek explained that the medical examiner labeled the trajectory by anatomical standards. Depending on how Woods reacted when he was first shot, a bullet could have pierced the back of his arm from the front, had he swung it in a certain way.

She counted at least 10 wounds that entered at the back or the back of the head.

Woods suffered at least five bruises from the less-than-lethal beanbag rounds, on his left chest, his left forearm, his left hip and his left thigh, said the report, which also noted superficial injuries likely caused by bullet fragments.

Shooting ‘excessive’

John Burris, an attorney who filed a civil rights lawsuit against San Francisco police on behalf of Woods’ family, said Thursday that the number of gunshot wounds “confirms my view that the shooting was excessive. Many and most were in the back.”

Police officials, however, said the report “appears to corroborate facts gathered by investigators in the aftermath of this tragic incident.”

“It is difficult for anyone to watch videos of the shooting. Similarly, it is equally as difficult to read the medical examiner’s report,” said Officer Grace Gatpandan, a police spokeswoman. She said the department is “committed to a thorough review of the shooting, and this report will be an important component of all three ongoing independent investigations.”

A blood toxicology exam found that at the time of his death, Woods had methamphetamine, marijuana, cough medicine, antidepressants, caffeine and nicotine in his system.

DNA match

In a response to the lawsuit filed by Woods’ family, the city attorney’s office described the drugs in Woods’ system as “a volatile combination.” The response, filed Thursday, also stated that DNA evidence from the knife recovered at the scene matched that of the earlier stabbing victim.

Woods’ family has said that he suffered from psychiatric issues and that he may have been in an altered mental state when the officers encountered him. Burris said the report provides further evidence that “the officers should have taken the time when they saw he was not responding, and not created a confrontation with him.”

Burris said the issue was “if the officers had a legitimate reason to shoot him, regardless of his level of intoxication.”

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo