CONTACT: Deputy Chief Brian Amoroso
DATE OF INCIDENT: Saturday, February 28, 2026
TYPE OF INCIDENT: Officer Involved Shooting – Decedent Identification and Video Release
PLACE OF OCCURRENCE: Poinsettia Street and Bluebell Way
The following information updates the original media release regarding the San Luis Obispo Police Department’s response resulting in an Officer Involved Shooting and the death of the suspect.
On February 28, 2026, between 4:44 pm and 4:53 pm, SLOPD dispatch received five emergency calls for service. The initial caller indicated a man had threatened to shoot them and their dogs. Callers described the person as a black male wearing dark clothing and acting in an erratic manner with a firearm in the Arbors neighborhood. Multiple callers believed the male was holding a firearm; one described it as silver in color, while another caller believed the firearm was a toy gun.
Officers arrived at the intersection of Poinsettia Street and Bluebell Way at 4:54 pm and located the male suspect who matched the description in the 911 calls. As the first arriving Officer was exiting his patrol car, the male suspect immediately dropped to one knee and pointed the weapon at the Officer. (Images depicting this are included below.) The Officer yelled at the suspect “hey, stop, stop, stop,” but he did not respond to the Officer’s commands. The Officer, reacting to the immediate threat, fired a single shot from his rifle which struck the suspect, who fell to the ground.
Officers requested emergency medical units and conducted first aid and CPR until EMS arrived. The suspect was confirmed deceased by SLO City Fire at 5:06 pm. He has been identified as 69-year-old Willie Felton Foster Jr. Mr. Foster was transient in San Luis Obispo. Inspection of the weapon at the scene revealed it was not a real firearm. (An image of the weapon recovered at the scene is included below.)
The in-car video of the incident is being made available to the public in advance of the 45-day release requirement of California Assembly Bill 748 and California Government Code Section 7923.625 in the interest of transparency and informing the public about a critical law enforcement incident that is very uncommon in our community. The video is available online here or slocity.org/slopdincident. NOTE: If the links are not working for you, please access the video using this YouTube link:
Additional video and records will be released as they become available, via the above link, as required by law. The City is reviewing all of the incident records and will make any redactions required to protect the privacy of Mr. Foster, his family, the 911 callers and/or witnesses to the incident, and to ensure that nothing released will interfere with the independent investigation of the incident being conducted by the California Department of Justice.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department continues to cooperate with the California Department of Justice as they complete their investigation.
