S.F. burglary victim killed for going to police SAN FRANCISCO

40-year-old Myron Edwards was killed Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009 in San Francisco, Calif. All the recovering addict wanted was his dog back. After he went to SF Housing Authority officials to complain that someone had stolen it during a burglary last week at the Plaza East project in the Western Addition, someone beat Edward up, and three days later he was shot to death. less 40-year-old Myron Edwards was killed Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009 in San Francisco, Calif. All the recovering addict wanted was his dog back. After he went to SF Housing Authority officials to complain that someone ... more Photo: DMV, Special To The Chronicle Photo: DMV, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close S.F. burglary victim killed for going to police 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

All Myron Edwards wanted was his stolen dog back. He got it - but it ended up costing him his life.

On Tuesday, San Francisco police arrested a recent parolee in the slaying of the 40-year-old Edwards. They described a tragic chain of events that ended in the recovering addict's shooting death Saturday afternoon in the Western Addition.

Those events began Feb. 4, when Edwards' apartment on Larch Way in the Plaza East public housing development was burglarized. His big-screen television and other valuables were taken. Most important for Edwards, his pit bull puppy, Foxy, was gone.

Edwards called police, then went to get some cigarettes. On the way back, he was confronted and beaten by as many as 15 suspected members of the Eddy Rock gang, apparently for having gone to authorities, investigators say.

Police evidence technicians at his apartment saw Edwards after the beating and asked him to make a police report or point out his attackers. He refused, and that might have been the end of it.

But that evening, members of the police gang task force raided a residence on the 1200 block of Eddy Street. They arrested several suspected Eddy Rock gang members and seized drugs. They also found Edwards' dog, complete with tag.

"The gang task force called him and gave him back his dog, but they didn't have his big screen or the other stuff they had taken," said Inspector Mike Johnson of the police homicide detail.

For the next two days, Edwards kept a low profile, figuring the gang might blame him for the police raid that netted his prized dog, investigators say. In fact, police say, the raid had long been planned, and the burglary at Edwards' apartment had nothing to do with it.

The management of Plaza East got wind of what happened and offered to move Edwards to a hotel as of Thursday, said police Cmdr. Leroy Lindo. The next day, Edwards went to the Housing Authority offices on Turk Street and sought to relocate. The Housing Authority offered him various options to move out that day, Lindo said.

But Edwards decided to stay put.

And the next day, police believe, he tried to resolve the situation on his own.

Johnson said that on Saturday afternoon, Edwards left his apartment to meet a gang member. In the middle of Eddy and Laguna streets, police say, a gunman fired as many as nine shots, killing him.

To homicide Inspector Robert Lynch, the reason Edwards died is simple.

"He got burglarized and called the police," the inspector said. "He got killed because he called the police."

Investigators say several witnesses saw the shooting. On Tuesday, police arrested Jonathan Brown, 23, on murder charges. Brown had been paroled from state prison Jan. 17 after serving time for a home invasion robbery in Daly City, said Steve Wagstaffe, chief deputy district attorney of San Mateo County.

"He's our basic stupid guy gets out of prison, wants to be a thug," Johnson said.

Edwards, a longtime drug addict with a history of property crime, was enrolled in a Walden House drug treatment and job placement program. In December, he was photographed with his counselor, Lauren Kahn, for a Chronicle story about Walden House's budget problems. Kahn said Tuesday that she could not talk about Edwards because of confidentiality rules.

Police said Edwards had been clean for two years after struggling with drug abuse for years. On Saturday, they said, Edwards - who grew up in the neighborhood - figured he could talk sense to a younger generation.

"He's an older guy - he's 40," Johnson said. "These were all kids. He grew up in the neighborhood. But it's not the same neighborhood he grew up in."

Since his killing, police said, Edwards' family members have been relocated for their protection. His dog is with them.