Zebra Murders - Reaction To The First Wave of Murders

Reaction To The First Wave of Murders

The murders caused widespread panic in San Francisco. People attempted to find "safety in numbers" whenever they would go out or, as much as possible, avoid going out at night. In reaction, an increased police presence was ordered throughout the city.

The police were baffled by the lack of motive in the killings. Brutality and an apparent lack of remorse on the part of the gunmen marked the attacks.

Based on what was initially known about the killings, there was a common pattern. In a hit-and-run shooting, the gunman would walk up to his victim, shoot the victim repeatedly at close range, and flee on foot. Another link to the shootings was the killers' preference for a .32 caliber pistol, based on the slugs recovered from the victims and the shell casings found at the crime scenes.

As a result, a special task force was formed to try to solve and stop the murders, led by Detectives Gus Coreris and John Fotinos (1925–2006). San Francisco Police Chief Donald Scott assigned the "Z" police radio frequency for their exclusive use. Since the letter "Z" is known in common phonetic use as "Zebra," the group became known as the Zebra task force, and the murders became known as the Zebra murders.