Darryl Haynes

Darryl Haynes, a 61-year-old Black man, was remembered by his family as a loving and caring person who would give you the shirt off his back. His niece, Shante Smith, recalled him as an important and needed male figure in her life, a man who would do anything for those he cared for. A resident of San Francisco, his life was cut short in a sudden act of violence on the morning of May 15, 2021.

That Saturday, just after 10 a.m., gunshots rang out in the Potrero Hill neighborhood. San Francisco Police Department officers responded to reports of a shooting near the intersection of 25th and Connecticut streets, where they found Darryl Haynes suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment but tragically succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The quiet residential street, lined with homes and near the green space of the Potrero Hill Recreation Center, became the scene of a homicide investigation.

The violence did not end there. About two and a half hours later, at approximately 12:25 p.m., another shooting occurred less than a mile away on Dakota Street. Officers investigating Haynes's death responded to find two more men shot. One of the victims, 54-year-old Randy Armstrong, died from his injuries. The other man, who was 49 years old, was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries but ultimately survived. The close proximity and timing of the shootings suggested a connection, sending a wave of fear through the community.

Investigators from the SFPD Homicide Detail quickly took over the cases and identified a single suspect in both deadly incidents: 32-year-old Robert Newt of San Francisco. Police released his photo to the public, describing him as armed and dangerous and known to frequent the city's Bayview and Hunters Point neighborhoods. The public was warned not to approach him and to call 9-1-1 immediately if he was spotted.

The identification of Newt as a suspect brought a troubling history to light. Just weeks before the shootings, in April 2021, Newt had been arrested in connection with a different shooting incident where no one was hurt. During that arrest, police had found him in possession of a semi-automatic, untraceable "ghost gun." However, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office declined to file charges at the time, citing the need for further forensic evidence to prove the case, and Newt was released from custody. This prior release became a point of public debate and tension between the police department and the DA's office following the May 15th homicides.

After a month-long manhunt, the search for Robert Newt came to an end on June 26, 2021. Officers with the Livermore Police Department located and arrested him without incident. Newt was taken into custody and booked into Santa Rita Jail on two warrants for murder and one for attempted murder, in addition to a federal warrant for firearms-related charges. He was later slated to be transferred to the custody of the San Francisco County Sheriff's Department to face the charges against him.

Following the arrest, the San Francisco Police Department stated that the investigation remained open and asked anyone with information to come forward. The case then moved into the judicial system for legal proceedings. According to case records, the homicide of Darryl Haynes is considered solved through litigation, though specific details of the court outcome have not been widely publicized. As of the latest available reports from June 2021, the case was proceeding through the courts. Police have encouraged anyone with information about the shootings to contact the SFPD's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444.