Former Police Chief and Her Daughter Murdered in Shocking Family Tragedy

A trailblazing former San Francisco police chief and her 24-year-old daughter were found shot to death inside their California home in an apparent double murder-suicide allegedly carried out by the woman’s husband, a retired police sergeant.

Ann Mannix, 65, who made history as the first woman to join and lead the San Francisco Police Department’s SWAT team, was killed Sunday, October 11, alongside her daughter, Katie Mannix.

Investigators believe Ann’s estranged husband, Kevin Mannix, 68, a retired San Francisco police sergeant, fatally shot both women before turning the gun on himself.

The shocking tragedy unfolded at a residence on Strawberry Circle in Marin County, an affluent community just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

According to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received a 911 call reporting gunfire inside the home shortly after 5 p.m.

Officers arrived within minutes and contacted the person who had called for help. That individual had managed to escape the residence before deputies arrived.

Investigators secured the surrounding area before entering the house, where they discovered three people dead from apparent gunshot wounds.

A handgun was reportedly found near Kevin Mannix’s body.

Authorities have not established a motive, and investigators are working to determine what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting.

The deaths have stunned San Francisco’s law enforcement community, where both Ann and Kevin Mannix spent decades serving as police officers.

Ann was widely respected for breaking barriers in a department historically dominated by men.

She joined the San Francisco Police Department in 1986 and became the first woman assigned to its elite SWAT entry team. She later rose through the ranks, eventually becoming deputy chief of the Field Operations Bureau in 2018.

The following year, she took charge of the Special Operations Bureau, overseeing specialized police units and major public safety operations.

Her groundbreaking career made her one of the department’s most recognizable female leaders before her retirement in 2021.

Kevin Mannix also had a lengthy law enforcement career, retiring in June 2018 after 27 years with the San Francisco Police Department.

Much of his career was spent at Taraval Station, where he worked alongside colleagues who are now struggling to comprehend the family’s violent deaths.

In a farewell message published after his retirement, Kevin reflected warmly on the friendships he had developed during his years on the force.

“I leave the SFPD, but I am taking your friendships with me forever,” he wrote.

Now, eight years later, his name is at the center of an investigation into the deaths of his wife and youngest daughter.

Katie, 24, was remembered by loved ones as a young woman whose life had barely begun. Family photographs shared publicly showed her smiling alongside her parents and siblings during happier times.

The family’s loss has been especially devastating for Ann’s longtime friends.

Billie Suder, who said she had known Ann for 60 years, expressed her grief in an interview with the New York Post.

“She was my best friend of 60 years,” Suder said, adding that Ann did not deserve what happened to her.

San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew confirmed the tragedy in a department-wide message, telling officers that the news was being shared with heavy hearts.

He encouraged employees struggling with the loss to seek support through the department’s behavioral health resources.

The San Francisco Police Officers Association also issued an emotional statement, describing the deaths as a devastating blow to current and retired officers.

Union President Louis Wong remembered Ann as a pioneer who shattered barriers throughout her career.

He praised her historic service on the SWAT team and her eventual leadership of two major police bureaus.

Wong also acknowledged Kevin’s decades of service, while describing the deaths of Ann and Katie as profoundly painful for the department.

The union said the tragedy had left officers searching for answers that may never fully explain what happened.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie also offered condolences, recognizing Ann’s contributions to the city and the lasting impact of her public service.

Investigators have not announced whether there were previous reports of domestic violence involving the family or disclosed the circumstances surrounding the couple’s estrangement.

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to review evidence, interview witnesses and investigate the sequence of events inside the home.

Officials said there was no ongoing danger to the surrounding community.

For colleagues who worked alongside Ann Mannix, the tragedy is particularly difficult to understand.