SFPD officer shot in head is discharged from hospital

San Francisco Officer Kevin Downs was discharged from the hospital and transferred to a rehabilitation facility after he was shot in the head last week. San Francisco Officer Kevin Downs was discharged from the hospital and transferred to a rehabilitation facility after he was shot in the head last week. Photo: SF POA Photo: SF POA Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close SFPD officer shot in head is discharged from hospital 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

The San Francisco police officer who was shot in the head while responding to reports of a mentally ill man — who himself was fatally shot during the ensuing standoff — has been discharged from the hospital and transferred to a rehabilitation facility, the police union said Friday.

In the week since he was shot and partially paralyzed, Officer Kevin Downs has regained some movement of his right arm. The bullet that missed his main cerebral artery by less than a centimeter caused a skull fracture and brain trauma and left his right leg paralyzed, officials said.

“Kevin is determined through intense physical therapy and state-of-the-art neurological treatments to walk again and ultimately return to full duty as a San Francisco police officer,” the Downs family said in a statement.

The gunman, 26-year-old Nicholas McWherter, who grew up in Pacifica and recently battled mental illness, died Sunday, two days after he was shot during the confrontation.

At a town hall meeting Thursday , San Francisco police provided more details of the incident. According to Cmdr. Greg McEachern, McWherter began firing as Downs exited his patrol car, and it appeared no words were initially exchanged.

Police have obtained video of a confrontation between McWherter and a security guard, who pepper-sprayed him twice inside a Big 5 Sporting Goods at Lakeshore Plaza Shopping Center before police responded, McEachern said at the meeting with city residents.

Investigators said they know how McWherter obtained the .22-caliber handgun used in the shooting but did not release details.

Officers arrived at the shopping center after receiving a report of a man threatening people and acting erratically, officials said. The security guard who had pepper-sprayed McWherter pointed the officers toward him on Everglade Drive.

Downs drove a patrol car to intercept McWherter, who began firing toward the car as soon as Downs exited, police said. The gunman then fled across Sloat Boulevard into Stern Grove.

About an hour after they were called to the scene, officers spotted McWherter running near the end of 28th Avenue. When officers caught up to him inside a wooded area on 28th Avenue near Vicente Street, McWherter fired and officers returned fire, officials said. It appears two officers fired 22 rounds, striking McWherter four times, McEachern said.

McWherter fell, kept a gun near his chest, and refused to surrender despite police commands, officials said. Officers moved back, used a “distraction device” and took him into custody within 20 minutes of the shooting.

Downs and his wife, Corey, asked those wishing to give financial assistance instead donate to the organization he co-founded, Ranchin’ Vets, which helps veterans who served after the 9/11 attacks find opportunities in the agricultural industry and transition to civilian life.