Father, Son Recovering From Family-Fight Gunfire

    The conditions of a 54-year-old San Francisco man and his son, both shot by another son after a family argument early Sunday, were upgraded yesterday.
William R_______ was listed in serious condition yesterday at San Francisco Hospital, according to spokeswoman Gloria Rodriguez. His 23-year-old son, Max, was listed in fair condition, she said.
    Police say the father and son were shot inside their home at 497 Joost Street by R_______'s 19-year-old son, Charles, who has been booked on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
    Charles R_______ was arrested moments after the shooting outside his family's home. Police, responding to 911 calls that poured in after the shootings, found him standing in the middle of the street wearing nothing but boxer shorts. Inside the house, police found R_______'s brother and father. Max R_______ had been shot several times in the back. Their father had been shot in the face and the stomach.
    Inside the house, police also found and seized 19 guns and rifles in addition to the automatic gun they believe was used to shoot the two men.
    The shootings apparently followed an argument and fistfight between R_______ and his father and brother, according to police.
    Witnesses told police that the suspect had been out drinking with his brother and another friend earlier that night and had returned to the house at about 12:45 a.m.    
    Shortly afterward, witnesses said, Charles R_______ got into an argument with his girlfriend and then with his father, who had intervened, according to the police report. One witness, a friend of Max R_______'s, told police that she and R_______ were watching television in a bedroom of the house when they heard loud arguing outside the bedroom door.
    The woman said that Max R_______ left the room and she heard more yelling. R_______ later came back into the room and shut the bedroom door, according to the police report.
    Moments later, the woman said, he kicked the bedroom door open, shot his brother three times and then left the room, according to the police report. The witness told police she heard more shots being fired but that she ran to hide in a closet and did not see anything else after that.

Father, Son Recovering From Family-Fight Gunfire

    The conditions of a 54-year-old San Francisco man and his son, both shot by another son after a family argument early Sunday, were upgraded yesterday.
    William R_______, who was shot in the face and stomach, was listed in serious condition at San Francisco Hospital, according to spokeswoman Gloria Rodriguez. His 23-year-old son, Max, who was shot several times in the back, was listed in fair condition, she said.
    Police say the father and son were shot inside their home at 497 Joost Street by R_______'s 19-year-old son, Charles, who has been booked on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. [How many people have been shot in San Francisco this year? In this neighborhood? In San Francisco, do most shootings happen between family members, acquaintances or strangers?]
    Charles R_______ was arrested moments after the shooting. Police responding to 911 calls that poured in after the shootings found him standing in the middle of the street wearing nothing but boxer shorts. William and Max R_______ were found injured inside the house.
    Police also found and seized 19 guns and rifles in addition to the gun they believe was used to shoot the two men. The guns seized included 10 handguns and nine long guns, including a semiautomatic shotgun. [What type of gun was used in the assault? Was it one of the crime guns - a Saturday night special that figures in most assaults or a 9 mm handgun, which figures in most homicides? Where did the R_______s purchase the guns? For how much? Were they selling guns? Did they have a license to do so?] 
    The shootings apparently followed an argument and fistfight between R_______ and his father and brother, according to police. Witnesses told police that the suspect had been out drinking with his brother and another friend earlier that night and had returned to the house at about 12:45 a.m. Drinking alcohol, especially binge drinking, has been found to be associated with violent crime more than nonviolent crime, according to researchers at the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina.  [How many liquor outlets are in this neighborhood? Is it more than allowed by state regulation? How do the number in this neighborhood relate to the numbers in other neighborhoods?]

   According to a San Francisco General Hospital spokesperson, both men required surgery to treat their wounds.  The average cost of a surgical procedure to repair gunshot wounds is $6,915. [Did they have health insurance? If not, who pays for the hospitalization? Were there any other family members living in the residence on Joost Street? If so, will they have to move? How will their lives be affected by this? Did the R_______s have jobs? Will they be able to go back to work? Did Charles R_______ find his own attorney, or is he being represented by a public defender? Where is he being held, and how much is his incarceration costing taxpayers?]

Suggestions for accompanying graphs: shootings in San Francisco, by neighborhood; perhaps a list of handguns whose sale is banned in San Francisco and 17 other communities.

Suggestions for accompanying sidebars or follow-up stories: latest research on link between alcohol "binge" drinking and violent crime; cost to taxpayers to patch up wounds of gunshot victims, pay for rehabilitation or convalescent care since most do not have health insurance; relationship between alcohol outlets and incidence of violent crime by San Francisco neighborhood.

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