Homeless man badly injured in SF paintball shooting

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A homeless man suffered a possible brain injury after being hit in the head multiple times with paintball pellets early Monday in San Francisco, police said.

Prior to the Sunday night attack, police officers had contacted the 33-year-old victim and called the city’s homeless outreach workers to provide assistance to him, said Officer Giselle Talkoff, a police spokeswoman.

But between police leaving and anyone arriving, someone shot him with a paintball gun twice in the head, one of which landed near his eye socket, Talkoff said. The victim also suffered injuries to his hand and fingers.

Though no one reported witnessing the shooting, people told police the man was shouting in the street prior to the incident, Talkoff said.

Officers and paramedics found him covered in paint just after midnight on the 5800 block of Mission Street near Lawrence Avenue, with expended paintball capsules surrounding him. He was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Though the victim’s injuries were initially described as life-threatening, by Monday afternoon he was in stable condition, Talkoff said. He may have suffered brain injuries, she said.

“It may be paint, but those things hurt and will cause some damage,” Talkoff said.

Officials don’t have information on a suspect but were canvassing the area for video surveillance footage and other evidence.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov