An outreach worker for the homeless was shot Friday outside San Francisco’s main library after telling a man not to use drugs near children, police said.
Joey Alexander, 60, worked for Urban Alchemy, a nonprofit that deploys staff to discourage crime and drug use on city streets. Authorities say Edmund Bowen, 42, allegedly shot Alexander with a shotgun after Alexander confronted him about using drugs outside the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library, according to KRON News. (RELATED: ‘She’s F**king Bleeding’: 911 Audio From Horrific Charlotte Train Stabbing Of Iryna Zarutska Released)
“The suspect didn’t like that, they exchanged some words, [he] pulled a shotgun out of his bag, and shot him in the torso,” Urban Alchemy spokesperson Jess Montejano told the outlet.
Police have arrested Bowen on suspicion of homicide, according to the outlet. Alexander had spent the past two years working with Urban Alchemy in San Francisco while living in Oakland. He had reportedly turned his life around and dedicated himself to helping others do the same.
He turned his pain into purpose, and his history into healing.
Violence doesn’t just take one life. It ripples out — through families, coworkers, first responders, and entire neighborhoods. Our team is grieving. His family is grieving. And this city is grieving.
— Urban Alchemy (@UrbanAlchemyUA) October 2, 2025
Urban Alchemy said it was “grieving” Alexander’s death in a statement on X, calling him a man who “turned his pain into purpose, and his history into healing.” The group said his killing rippled through “families, coworkers, first responders, and entire neighborhoods.”
“Joey’s legacy reminds us of something San Francisco must never forget: Formerly incarcerated people are important members of our community and families [and] our practitioners do some of the hardest, most important work in this city,” the statement read.
Police said Alexander was taken to a hospital after the shooting and died Tuesday, according to KTVU News. Alexander’s brother, Marvin, told the outlet that Joey “loved his job” and was working to make amends for his past.
“He wanted to make right what he’d done in his past. Whatever he was doing, it was the right thing. He loved his job, I know that. He loved his job,” Marvin said.
The San Francisco Police Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.