In July 2018, Taraval Station published a farewell letter from Kevin Mannix, a sergeant who had left the San Francisco Police Department the month before after 27 years on the force.
“I leave the SFPD, but I am taking your friendships with me forever,” he wrote.
He also told colleagues in the letter that he wanted to spend more time with loved ones.
On Sunday night, Marin County sheriff’s deputies found Kevin, 68, dead inside a home in Strawberry Circle.
They also found his wife, retired SFPD Deputy Chief Ann Mannix, 65, and their daughter, Katie, 24.
Kevin shot Ann and Katie before turning the weapon on himself, according to reports. The SFPD Officers’ Association described the deaths as a suspected murder-suicide.
Deputies responded to the scene after 5 p.m. The home sits in an affluent part of Marin County, across the bay from San Francisco.
According to a sheriff’s office press release, Strawberry Circle is an unincorporated community in Strawberry, east of Mill Valley.
Officers reached the house within minutes and tried to contact the person who made the initial call. The sheriff’s office said that person had already left the home.
Investigators then secured the perimeter. Detectives from the sheriff’s office investigations unit were still working the scene Sunday night.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported the department’s assessment of public safety. “There is no known threat to the community,” the sheriff’s office said.
Ann spent decades climbing the SFPD ranks.
Department records show she became deputy chief of the Field Operations Bureau in 2018, then took charge of the Special Operations Bureau in 2019.
She also became the first woman to serve on the department’s SWAT team, and she later led the unit.
San Francisco police officers confirmed the deaths.
Chief Derrick Lew sent a department-wide message saying the agency was sharing the news “with heavy hearts.”
Lew added: “Please keep their family in your prayers. BSU is available to all members who may need it during this difficult time.”
A woman who described herself as Ann’s best friend of 60 years also confirmed the deaths to The Post.
“This is so sad for me. She was my best friend of 60 years. Love her, she didn’t deserve this,” she said.
The San Francisco Police Officer’s Association issued a statement Sunday night.
“It is with profound sadness, shock, and heavy hearts that we address the devastating news that emerged out of Marin County on Sunday evening.
“The tragic loss of retired Deputy Chief Ann Mannix, her daughter Katie, and retired Sergeant Kevin Mannix in a suspected murder-suicide has left our entire SFPD family reeling.
“There are no words that can fully capture the depth of this tragedy, nor are there simple answers to the painful questions we are all asking.
“Ann Mannix was a trailblazer in our department—becoming the first woman to join and lead the SWAT team, and rising to lead both the Field Operations and Special Operations Bureaus.
“Many worked alongside Kevin during his 27 years of dedicated service at Taraval Station and beyond. To see their lives, and the life of their 24-year-old daughter Katie, end in such a horrific and senseless manner is a burden that weighs heavily on every officer, active and retired.”
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie also released a statement.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of retired SFPD Deputy Chief Ann Mannix and her daughter, Katie.
“Deputy Chief Mannix dedicated decades of her life to serving San Francisco. She was a trailblazer in the police department, becoming the first woman to join and lead the SWAT team and rising to lead both the Field Operations and Special Operations Bureaus.”
