S.F. police officer shoots handgun-wielding man

Police block Connecticut Street at 25th Street in the Potrero Hill neighborhood after an officer shot a man who police say had a gun and refused to drop it on Nov. 6, 2014. Police block Connecticut Street at 25th Street in the Potrero Hill neighborhood after an officer shot a man who police say had a gun and refused to drop it on Nov. 6, 2014. Photo: Kale Williams Photo: Kale Williams Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close S.F. police officer shoots handgun-wielding man 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

San Francisco police shot and critically injured a man in the Potrero Hill neighborhood just before 8 p.m. Thursday, Police Chief Greg Suhr said.

Three plainclothes officers were patrolling the neighborhood in a vehicle performing what Suhr called “violence suppression” when they saw five men, one of whom was known to the officers due to a previous drug-related case, on the 900 block of Connecticut Street. The officers got out of the car and four of the men ran, Suhr said. The one who remained pulled out a handgun.

The officer ordered the suspect to drop the gun, according to Suhr, but the man refused and began advancing toward the officer. The officer shot the suspect “in fear for his life,” Suhr said.

The victim had been involved in a drug-related case in October, Suhr said, and was found to be in possession of small amounts of methamphetamine and heroin.

The four other men were detained and one was also found to be in possession of methamphetamine.

The victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was in critical but stable condition, Suhr said.

The officer involved in the shooting will be placed on paid administrative leave, which is department policy.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale