San Francisco’s former deputy police chief and her husband had experienced serious marital difficulties before he fatally shot her and their daughter, a longtime family friend told the California Post.
Ann Mannix, 65, and her 24-year-old daughter, Katie, were killed Sunday evening at their Marin County home by Kevin Mannix, 68. He then turned the gun on himself.
The family friend, who had known Ann for more than six decades, said the former police leader had confided that her marriage was troubled.
“We talked about her relationship with her husband,” the friend said. “It wasn’t great.” Still, she said she was not aware that Ann and Kevin were separated.
The friend said she could never have imagined the tragedy unfolding. “I can’t imagine having that happen or doing that. So it caught me by surprise.”
She remembered Ann as a devoted mother who had been looking forward to becoming a grandmother. “She was a wonderful mother. She had high hopes of being a grandmother soon,” the friend said. “You know, she was a friend to everybody.”
The pair met at age five while living across the street from each other in San Francisco’s Richmond District.
“We were best friends. We were playmates. We learned everything together,” she said.
Their bond lasted for decades and continued even after they moved to different states. They spoke roughly twice a week, and Ann made her last visit to the friend during the summer.
“We went to dinner. We have a pool, so we swam. We just hung out and just kind of spent time together,” she recalled.
The friend described Ann as compassionate, intelligent and resilient. She also remembered her as exceptionally athletic and quick-witted from childhood.
“She was super athletic. She always did everything better than me growing up. She was funny, you know. She was very civic-minded.”
Katie, who also died in the shooting, was studying to become a nurse. Like her mother, she wanted to help people, the friend said. “Katie was fun, silly, the life of the party.”
Marin County sheriff’s deputies were sent to a home on Strawberry Circle after a 5:03 p.m. report of gunfire. The residence is located in Strawberry, an unincorporated community east of Mill Valley.
Officers arrived within minutes and made contact with the caller, who had safely escaped the property. After establishing a perimeter, they entered the home and found three people dead inside.
Detectives remained at the residence Sunday night as they investigated the shooting. “There is no known threat to the community,” the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said.
San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew informed department personnel of the deaths Sunday night, saying he was delivering the news “with heavy hearts.”
“Please keep their family in your prayers. BSU is available to all members who may need it during this difficult time,” he wrote, referring to the department’s behavioral science unit.
Ann established a trailblazing career with the San Francisco Police Department. She became the first woman to serve on its SWAT team and later the first woman to lead the unit.
According to department records, she was promoted to deputy chief of the Field Operations Bureau in 2018. The next year, she assumed command of the Special Operations Bureau.
Kevin retired from the department in June 2018 after 27 years of service.
In a farewell letter published by Taraval Station the following month, he reflected on the relationships he had formed during his career and his plans to spend more time with family and friends.
“I leave the SFPD, but I am taking your friendships with me forever,” he wrote.
The San Francisco Police Officers Association mourned the family in a statement following the shooting.
“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,” the union said.
“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.”
The association praised Ann as a trailblazer and acknowledged the officers who had worked alongside Kevin during his decades on the force.
“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,” the statement said.
Ann’s close family friend said her loss would continue to be deeply felt.
“She was just a wonderful, wonderful person, and she will be deeply missed by many.”