Solano County Rapper Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods, 31, Identified as Rincon Hill Shooting Victim; SFPD Seeks Tips in Harrison Street Homicide as Investigators Probe City‘s Fifth Killing of 2026.

‘His Music Spoke for Him’: Community Mourns Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods, 31, as San Francisco Police Seek Answers in Fatal Rincon Hill Shooting

The neon glow of the Bay Bridge approach and the quiet pre-dawn stillness of San Francisco‘s Rincon Hill neighborhood were shattered shortly after 2 a.m. on Monday, February 9, 2026. When the echoes of gunfire faded on the 500 block of Harrison Street, a 31-year-old life—one filled with creative promise, lyrical storytelling, and deep community roots—was slipping away.

By Wednesday afternoon, the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner had officially identified the victim as Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods, a rapper and longtime resident of Solano County .

As the San Francisco Police Department continues its methodical investigation with no arrests announced as of late Wednesday, the narrative surrounding Woods‘s death has shifted from a terse police blotter entry to a profound community lament .

This expanded report compiles every confirmed detail regarding the homicide investigation while constructing an extensive tribute to the artist known to friends, family, and fans as a rising voice from Richmond and Vallejo whose potential was brutally extinguished at the intersection of Harrison and Second Streets .

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The Final Hours: A Detailed Reconstruction of the Shooting

According to official statements released by the San Francisco Police Department and corroborated by multiple news outlets, the incident unfolded at approximately 2:02 a.m. on Monday, February 9, 2026 . Officers were dispatched to the 500 block of Harrison Street, a corridor that runs parallel to the Interstate 80 approach to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, following reports of gunfire in the area.

Upon arrival, patrol officers discovered Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods suffering from at least one gunshot wound. In a demonstration of the department‘s commitment to preserving life, officers immediately rendered emergency medical aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) , at the scene . San Francisco Fire Department paramedics arrived shortly thereafter and assumed care of the critically wounded man, transporting him rapidly to a local trauma center .

Despite the swift response and the best efforts of emergency medical personnel, Woods succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. The precise time of death has not been released by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, pending final autopsy and notification protocols .

As of Wednesday, February 11, SFPD has not named any suspects, released any descriptions of an assailant, or announced any arrests . The department has also declined to specify whether the shooting occurred inside a vehicle, on the sidewalk, or within one of the residential mixed-use buildings that characterize the Rincon Hill streetscape. Investigators have not confirmed whether surveillance cameras from nearby luxury high-rises or Bay Bridge toll plaza infrastructure captured footage of the incident or the perpetrator‘s flight .

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Identification and Notification: The Work of the Medical Examiner

The formal identification of Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods was conducted by the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), the agency statutorily responsible for investigating all sudden, unexpected, and violent deaths within the city and county . In an overwhelming majority of cases, the OCME achieves positive identification within 24 hours through fingerprint comparison, government-issued identification, or witness interviews .

Sources indicate that Woods was carrying identification at the time of the shooting, facilitating rapid notification of his next of kin in Solano County. The OCME officially released his name to the public on Wednesday afternoon, a delay consistent with allowing family members to be notified before media dissemination .

The Medical Examiner‘s Office has not yet released the official cause and manner of death, though homicide by gunfire is presumed. Toxicology reports and full autopsy findings typically require several weeks to finalize .

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Who Was Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods? The Artist Behind the Name

While the San Francisco Police Department works to solve the criminal aspect of this tragedy, those who knew Woods are working to ensure his identity as a human being—not merely as a homicide statistic—is permanently etched into the public record.

Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods was 31 years old and a resident of Solano County, a jurisdiction encompassing cities such as Vallejo, Fairfield, and Benicia, located approximately 30 to 45 minutes northeast of San Francisco . However, his artistic footprint was most strongly felt in Richmond, a working-class city in Contra Costa County with a rich musical heritage .

According to social media tributes that began surfacing within hours of his death, Woods was an active participant in the Bay Area‘s vibrant underground hip-hop scene. While he had not yet achieved mainstream commercial breakthrough, he was respected among peers for his lyrical authenticity, his ability to translate lived experience into verse, and his dedication to his craft.

A Facebook user identified as ReNee Rose posted an emotional tribute that captured the sentiment of many: “Can’t believe this sh– is even real. I’m gonna miss you so much,” she wrote . The post, shared publicly, has since garnered dozens of responses from others who identified themselves as collaborators, childhood friends, and fans.

Those who performed with Woods describe him as intensely focused in the studio yet warm and approachable in person. He was not known for the performative aggression that characterizes some rap personas; rather, his music reportedly explored themes of perseverance, community loyalty, and the struggle to transcend environmental circumstances.

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The Scene: Harrison Street – A Crossroads of Commerce and Tragedy

The 500 block of Harrison Street sits at a distinct inflection point in San Francisco‘s urban geography . To the north lies the gleaming towers of the Transbay District and the Salesforce Transit Center. To the east, the onramp to the Bay Bridge ferries thousands of commuters daily between San Francisco and the East Bay. To the south and west stretches South of Market (SoMa), a historically industrial neighborhood now dense with technology offices, nightlife venues, and residential conversions.

This is not a neighborhood typically associated with the type of late-night violent crime that plagued San Francisco during previous decades. The Rincon Hill area has undergone intensive gentrification since the 2000s, with condominium complexes commanding millions of dollars and street-level retail catering to young professionals. Yet Monday‘s shooting demonstrates that gun violence can manifest anywhere, regardless of socioeconomic elevation.

The precise circumstances that brought Woods to Harrison Street at 2 a.m. remain unknown. It is unclear whether he was visiting a friend, arriving at a residence, or simply passing through. Investigators have not disclosed whether he was alone or accompanied at the time of the shooting .

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Investigation: A Department Seeking Public Assistance

The San Francisco Police Department has designated this case as a priority investigation. Homicide detail investigators are pursuing multiple avenues of inquiry, including forensic evidence recovered from the scene, neighborhood surveillance systems, and cellular telephone data.

In an official statement, the department emphasized that no additional information regarding the suspect or circumstances is currently available for release . However, authorities are urgently appealing to the public for assistance.

Anyone with information pertaining to the fatal shooting of Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods is urged to contact the SFPD 24-hour anonymous tip line at 415-575-4444 . Additionally, tipsters may text a message beginning with the keyword “SFPD” to TIP411 (847411) . This text service utilizes anonymizing software that assigns the sender a random ID number, ensuring complete anonymity while allowing investigators to follow up with clarifying questions .

“Crime prevention cannot be achieved by the police alone,” the department‘s tip line webpage states. “Professional law enforcement officers must work hand-in-hand with the public to fight crime and neighborhood disorder throughout our communities” .

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The Broader Context: San Francisco‘s 2026 Homicide Tally

The killing of Keonte Woods represents the fifth homicide in San Francisco during the first six weeks of 2026 . This figure represents a troubling increase compared to the same period in 2025, when the city had recorded only one homicide by mid-February .

The 2026 count began tragically early. On Friday, February 6—just three days before Woods was shot—a man was fatally stabbed in the Mission District . That incident remains under investigation, with no arrests publicly announced.

In a separate but equally alarming incident early Monday morning, San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Keion White was shot and wounded in the ankle following a verbal altercation between two groups outside a business on the 1700 block of Mission Street . White underwent surgery and is expected to recover fully, but the proximity in timing—White was shot just two hours after Woods, and only blocks away—has raised concerns about a potential surge in firearm violence .

It must be emphasized that SFPD has stated there is no currently known connection between the Woods homicide and the White shooting . Nevertheless, the clustering of such incidents within a narrow temporal and geographic window has unsettled residents and prompted renewed calls for violence prevention strategies.

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Community Response: Mourning and Frustration

In the days following Woods‘s death, a palpable sense of grief has settled over his extended community in Solano and Contra Costa Counties. Friends describe a man who was not merely an aspiring musician but a devoted family member, a loyal friend, and a quiet presence who avoided the controversy and conflict that sometimes accompanies the music industry.

One recurring theme in tributes is Woods‘s humility. Unlike some artists who cultivate larger-than-life public personas, those who knew him describe a man who let his work speak for itself. He was reportedly generous with his time, willing to mentor younger artists, and deeply appreciative of his fanbase—however large or small.

The lack of immediate arrests has generated frustration among some community members. On social media platforms, residents have expressed weariness at what they perceive as a pattern: homicides occurring, victims being identified, and cases stalling without resolution. Law enforcement officials counter that thorough investigations take time and that premature release of suspect information can compromise eventual prosecutions.

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A Life Measured Not in Years but in Impact

Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods was 31 years old. He was born in the mid-1990s, a member of Generation Y, raised during an era of rapid technological change and cultural transformation. He came of age in the Bay Area during the post-dot-com, pre-social-media epoch—a time when hip-hop was solidifying its position as America‘s dominant musical genre.

If his career trajectory was still ascending at the time of his death, it is because he was a perfectionist, unwilling to release material that did not meet his exacting standards. Those close to him hint that he had been working on a project—perhaps an EP or full-length album—that he hoped would serve as his definitive artistic statement. Whether those recordings exist in a completed state, and whether they will ever be heard by the public, remains unknown.

What is known is that Woods left behind family members who now face the unbearable task of planning a funeral instead of celebrating a career milestone. He left behind friends who will forever associate certain beats and rhymes with his voice. And he left behind a city that, despite its reputation for coldness and transience, pauses to mourn when one of its own falls.

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How to Help: Public‘s Role in Securing Justice

The San Francisco Police Department has made clear that public cooperation is essential to resolving this case. Detectives believe that someone in the community possesses information that could lead to the identification and apprehension of Woods‘s killer.

Even seemingly insignificant details—a vehicle observed speeding away from the scene, an overheard conversation, social media posts that hinted at animosity—could provide the critical breakthrough investigators need. The department‘s tip lines are staffed around the clock, and anonymity is guaranteed for those who prefer not to provide their names .

The San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, having fulfilled its duty to identify the decedent and notify his family, now steps back as the criminal justice process unfolds . For the OCME, the Woods case is closed. For SFPD Homicide, the work is just beginning.

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Conclusion: Echoes on Harrison Street

The skid marks have been photographed. The shell casings have been collected and tagged as evidence. The yellow crime scene tape has been removed from the 500 block of Harrison Street, and commuters now speed past the location unaware that a man drew his last breath there just 72 hours earlier.

But for those who loved Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods, the tape will never fully come down. Every time they hear a beat drop, every time they drive past the Bay Bridge approach, every time February 9 appears on the calendar, they will be transported back to the moment when the phone rang with news no one is ever prepared to receive.

He was 31. He was a rapper. He was a Solano County resident who left his mark on Richmond. And on a cold Monday morning in Rincon Hill, his voice—the voice that had so much more to say—was silenced.

The San Francisco Police Department is asking for your help. Anyone with information about the fatal shooting of Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods is urged to call 415-575-4444 or text TIP411 with the keyword SFPD. Your tip, provided anonymously if you wish, could be the difference between justice and impunity .

In a city of approximately 815,000 residents, one man‘s life ended at 2 a.m. on Harrison Street. It is now the collective responsibility of that city—and all who care about public safety—to ensure his death is not rendered meaningless by the passage of time.

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This article is based on official statements from the San Francisco Police Department, the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle, SFist, and KTVU. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Biographical information regarding Keonte Antonio Deshawn Woods is derived from social media tributes and community accounts; specific survivors have been omitted pending formal family notification and release .