Police identify man fatally shot by officer in SLO
Police have identified the man who they say was shot and killed by a San Luis Obispo Police Department officer while holding a replica firearm last weekend.
In a news release Friday evening, the Police Department identified the man killed as 69-year-old Willie Felton Foster Jr. According to the release, Foster was an unhoused resident of San Luis Obispo.
Police also released additional details about the fatal shooting.
According to the release, dispatch received five emergency calls for service between 4:44 p.m. and 4:53 p.m. on Feb. 28.
Police said the first caller indicated a man had threatened to shoot them and their dogs.
Other callers described a Black man wearing dark clothing and “acting in an erratic manner with a firearm in the Arbors neighborhood,” the release said. Multiple callers reportedly believed the man was holding a firearm, though one noted they thought it was a toy gun.
When officers arrived at the intersection of Poinsettia Street and Bluebell Way at 4:54 p.m., they located Foster, who matched the description in the 911 calls, the release said.
“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,” the release said.
The officer then yelled at Foster, “Hey, stop, stop, stop,” but he did not respond to the command, according to the release.
“The officer, reacting to the immediate threat, fired a single shot from his rifle which struck the suspect, who fell to the ground,” the release said.
Police requested medical units and conducted first aid and CPR until EMS arrived, the release said. Foster was confirmed dead at 5:06 p.m.
Inspection of the weapon at the scene revealed it was not a real firearm, the release said.
Police said no officers or other community members were injured during the incident, and the officer involved was placed on administrative leave per department police.
Incident under investigation by state DOJ
The Police Department on Friday also released in-car video of the incident ahead of the state’s 45-day release requirement “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 to the public to view at slocity.org/slopdincident.
The Police Department said additional video and records will be released as they become available via the above link as required by law.
The city is also reviewing all 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 release said.
Per state law and department policy, the incident is under investigation by the California Department of Justice.
The Department of Justice’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team initiated an investigation after it learned of the incident, the Attorney General’s Office said in a news release Monday.
Upon completion of the investigation, it will be turned over to Justice Department’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for independent review, the release said.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department said it would “cooperate fully with the investigation” and that body-worn camera footage would be released at a later date in accordance with the law.
“Any loss of life is tragic,” the department said in a statement Feb. 28. “The San Luis Obispo Police Department acknowledges and is saddened by the impact of this incident on those involved, their families, our employees and our community.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 6:11 PM.
