After 14 Homicides in 2026, San Francisco Calls for Ceasefire

San Francisco officials and advocates announced a 24-hour city-wide ceasefire, drawing attention to a recent spike in homicides.

While every other crime in San Francisco is down, homicides are up 250%. Last year, San Francisco saw 28 homicides total — its lowest rate in more than 70 years. But four months into 2026, there have already been 14 homicides, nine of which involved guns, according to the San Francisco Police Commission.

“I can’t tell you how many mothers and fathers and grandmothers I’ve had to sit across from and see their tears because they’ve had to bury their children and their grandchildren,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said at a press conference on Thursday morning.

Advocates who spearheaded the event called out the gunfire that broke out near Margaret S. Hayward Playground in February, killing 15-year-old Jayda Pearl Mabrey and sending two other teenagers to the hospital.

“ Can we sit on our hands for one day for the youth? One day, y’all,” community leader and founder of United Playaz Rudy Corpuz Jr. asked the audience.

Responding to a question about the uptick in gun violence, Corpuz Jr. pointed to “a lot of people who are angry, frustrated, and a lot have access to guns.”

Mayor Daniel Lurie emphasized a need to build stronger connections between City Hall and the community. He said that the city is making sure officers are present and actively building relationships, and pointed to “real progress” in staffing the police department and welcoming a new class of officers.

On Thursday, Corpuz Jr. said the idea for a ceasefire was born out of a conversation with Demetrius Dixon, who is currently incarcerated in California State Prison, Solano. Dixon had learned that shootings in the Bay Area had jumped, from Stockton to San Francisco, and wanted to do something about it. So, he called up Corpuz Jr.

“If we’re successful, then we could probably take it to the next city,” Corpuz Jr. said.

They hope to eventually broker a ceasefire across all of Northern California.

The call for a ceasefire comes the day after the San Francisco Police Commissioner raised questions about the dismissal of a victim advocate within the police department at a time when homicides are up.

At a public meeting on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Mattie Scott said that she received numerous calls from mothers asking why Lisa Ortiz, former manager of investigations for the SFPD, lost her job with the city. Ortiz could not be reached for comment.

“A lot of folks are concerned about that, particularly with the homicide rate and the shootings that have gone up,” Scott said.

In response to Scott’s questions about Ortiz, Police Chief Derrick Lew said that city-wide budget cuts impacted the police department. Lurie’s office declined to comment.

Activists described Ortiz, who worked directly with victims and survivors, as a key point of connection for the community.

“I depended on her,” Paulette Brown, the mother of a teenage boy who was gunned down in San Francisco in 2006, said. “Every time we get somebody that helps us, they’re gone.”

KQED’s Juan Carlos Lara contributed to this report.