San Luis Obispo identifies man killed by officer, releases video

March 7, 2026

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo city officials identified the man shot and killed by an officer on Feb. 28 as 69-year-old Willie Felton Foster Jr.

Shortly after 4:40 p.m., several 9-1-1 callers reported a male in the 900 block of El Capitan Way who was shouting aggressively and waving a firearm. Officers located the man near the intersection of Poinsettia Street and Bluebell Way.

Officers arrived to find a male who matched the description in the 911 calls.

As the first officer on the scene stepped out of his car, the suspect dropped to one knee and pointed what appeared to be a gun at the officer. The officer yelled at the suspect, “hey, stop, stop, stop.” The officer then fired a single shot from his rifle which struck the suspect, who fell to the ground.

He died at the scene.

Following the shooting, investigators determined the suspect’s firearm was a replica.

Suspect’s replica gun

Department administrators placed the officer on administrative leave. The California Department of Justice is investigating the shooting.

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