A man accused of fatally shooting his 22-year-old girlfriend Tuesday night in the Sunset told police he accidentally shot her through the wall while she was showering, according to a source familiar with the case.
Nation Wood, 25, said he was “dry-firing” his gun at his apartment and didn’t realize it was loaded when a round went through the wall and struck Samantha Emge, according to the source.
Wood was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter Friday. He was due to appear in court Friday afternoon.
The San Francisco Police Department said officers responded to a residence in the 2200 block of 22nd Avenue at about 10:43 p.m. Tuesday and found a woman who had been shot. The victim, later identified as Emge, a San Francisco resident and 2025 graduate of San Francisco State University, was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
A neighbor told The Standard they saw a bleeding person on the sidewalk outside the Abraham Lincoln High School gate. Police did not respond to questions about where Emge’s body was when officers arrived.
Wood also graduated from the university in 2025, according to a spokesperson for the school. A friend of Emge told The Standard that Wood was Emge’s boyfriend. Emge’s Instagram profile includes several pictures featuring the couple since early 2024.
Police have provided no additional details about the incident, but the fact that Wood is facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter indicates that authorities believe the shooting was not intentional. Charging documents filed by the San Francisco district attorney’s office accuse Wood of killing Emge “without malice.”
According to her LinkedIn profile (opens in new tab), Emge worked as a design assistant at Chantal Lamberto Interior Design in Presidio Heights. The firm did not respond to a request for comment. A family member declined to comment.
On his LinkedIn profile (opens in new tab), Wood describes himself as an “independent pre-event site security adviser” who does assessments for “events with VIP attendance.” His profile says he had worked on the White House’s advance team and has experience with the U.S. Secret Service. A White House spokesperson confirmed that Wood was employed as part of the Biden administration.
Reached by phone Thursday, Wood’s father, Michael Wood, said he had no comment on “this horrible, horrific tragedy” before hanging up.