Arrest made in coffeehouse killing in Tenderloin

(01-14) 18:09 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- A 30-year-old San Francisco man was arrested Friday in the killing of a man shot in front of customers in a Tenderloin cafe, police said.

The suspect was being held in connection with the killing of Terry Turner, 29, of San Francisco, who was shot several times Thursday in the Jebena cafe at Polk and Geary streets.

Police would not identify the suspect, and said only that "leads and tips from the community" had led to his arrest.

Lee Baron, a 54-year-old regular customer at Jebena who saw the killer run past her as she sipped coffee, said she felt lucky to be alive.

"It happened so fast," Baron said Friday. "I looked up and saw him raise a gun and start shooting at the guy he was chasing. ... I could taste the gun smoke for hours."

The gourmet coffee shop opened eight months ago, and its owner hopes to be part of a neighborhood renaissance. Thursday's incident demonstrated how far the area still has to go.

Turner ran into the cafe around 4:20 p.m. Thursday and headed for a back room with the gunman hot on his heels, police said.

A surveillance video showed Turner cornered in the small room, trying to ward off the man with a cast-iron patio chair.

The killer opened fire at point-blank range.

When Turner fell to the ground, the gunman snatched a bag from his hands, lowered his gun once more and shot Turner in the head, then ran out.

"I've lived here seven years," Baron said. "I've heard gunshots at night. I've seen things happen on the streets. But I've never seen something like this up close."

The slaying did not deter Jebena's owner from reopening Friday, nor did it keep regular customers away from their new neighborhood haunt. The cafe and an organic grocery store next door have been working to bring change to the area, several residents said.

"The truth is, this could have happened anywhere," said the cafe's owner, who asked not to be identified because he's afraid of retaliation. "It's sad and unfortunate that it happened here."

E-mail Justin Berton at jberton@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle