Nearly two weeks after a devastating murder-suicide, the two surviving children of slain San Francisco police leader Ann Mannix paid emotional tribute to their mother and younger sister, who were allegedly shot to death by their husband and father.
Former San Francisco Police Department Deputy Chief Ann Mannix, 65, and her 24-year-old daughter, Katie, were remembered at a moving funeral on Friday. Hundreds of mourners gathered to honor the mother and daughter whose lives were tragically cut short.
The October 11 killings sent shockwaves through the San Francisco police community after investigators found the pair dead with Ann’s estranged husband, retired police sergeant Kevin Mannix, 68.
Authorities believe Kevin shot his wife and youngest daughter inside the family’s $2 million Marin County home before taking his own life.
At Friday’s service, the couple’s surviving children spoke publicly about their loss for the first time, delivering tearful eulogies at San Francisco’s historic St. Ignatius Church.
‘My mom was the best mother I could have ever asked for,’ Lauren Mannix told the congregation, according to the San Francisco Standard.
‘She always made me feel loved, comforted me through my struggles, and made sure I had everything I ever needed.’
Lauren remembered Katie as ‘spunky, beautiful, smart, kind, and always keeps you on your toes.’
Former San Francisco deputy police chief Ann Mannix, 65, was killed by her estranged husband after a distinguished 34-year career in law enforcement
Katie, the youngest daughter of Ann and Kevin Mannix, was shot dead by her father alongside her mother at the family’s Marin County home
Kevin Mannix served with the San Francisco Police Department for 27 years before retiring in 2018
Lauren also spoke about the extraordinary determination that carried her mother through a pioneering 34-year career in law enforcement.
‘She was the strongest, most dedicated person I’ve ever known, and that strength and dedication was shown in her career as a police officer,’ Lauren said.
The intimate tributes brought many mourners to tears, as friends, colleagues and relatives struggled to process the brutal deaths of the mother and daughter.
Ann’s brother, retired SFPD Commander Rich Corriea, began his eulogy with a stark admission: ‘We shouldn’t be here.’
Corriea said a ‘controlled act of violence’ had taken his sister and niece, leaving their family and loved ones ‘overwhelmed with grief.’
The funeral was attended by several of San Francisco’s top officials, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, Police Chief Derrick Lew and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
Outside the 112-year-old church, police staged a solemn procession that carried the gravity and pageantry of a state funeral.
Motorcycle officers rode along Fulton Street with their lights flashing as they escorted two hearses carrying Ann and Katie.
San Francisco police officers carry the casket of retired San Francisco police Deputy Chief Ann Mannix into the church before the funeral Mass for her and her 24-year-old daughter, Kate
Two hearses sit outside the church during the funeral Mass for the mother and daughter. The funeral had a ‘State-like’ feel to it
A giant American flag hung overhead from the extended ladder of a fire truck as rows of uniformed officers stood waiting to pay their respects.
With bagpipes sounding, Ann’s coffin was carried into the church, followed by her daughter’s.
The ceremony was particularly poignant for a police department that had counted both Ann and her killer among its ranks for decades.
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Kevin’s name was not spoken during the service, according to The Standard, although a priest appeared to reference the killings when he said such evil was not part of God’s plan.
The tragedy unfolded on the evening of October 11 at the family’s home in the Strawberry neighborhood of Mill Valley, an affluent community across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
Marin County sheriff’s deputies rushed to the property shortly after 5pm following reports of gunfire.
‘Within minutes, deputies arrived on scene and made contact with the reporting party, who safely exited the residence,’ the sheriff’s office said in its initial statement.
‘After securing a perimeter, deputies entered the home.’
Mourners embrace as the hearse carrying the casket of retired San Francisco police Deputy Chief Ann Mannix arrives
San Francisco police officers fold the flag draped over the casket of retired Deputy Chief Ann Mannix as they enter the church ahead of the funeral Mass for her and her daughter Katie
Investigators subsequently described the deaths as a suspected double murder-suicide, identifying the presumed gunman as male.
Sources told the San Francisco Chronicle that Kevin had shot his estranged wife and their youngest daughter before taking his own life.
Authorities have not publicly established a motive for the killings, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The deaths have been particularly devastating for the SFPD, where Ann had earned a reputation as a pioneering female officer.
During her career, she became the first woman to join and command the department’s SWAT team, before rising to oversee some of its most important operations.
She served as deputy chief of the Field Operations Bureau in 2018 and subsequently led the Special Operations Bureau in 2019.
Her husband had also spent much of his professional life with the department, serving for 27 years before retiring in June 2018.
At the time, Kevin wrote an affectionate farewell letter to colleagues at Taraval Station, expressing excitement about spending more time with family and friends.
San Francisco sergeant Kevin Mannix (center), 68, shot and killed his estranged wife, former SFPD Deputy Chief Ann Mannix (left), 65, and their youngest daughter, Katie (right), 24, before killing himself
The San Francisco Police Officers Association previously said the suspected killings had hit the department hard
The deaths have been particularly devastating for the SFPD, where Ann had earned a reputation as a pioneering female officer
‘I am looking forward to a new life of leisure with family and friends,’ he wrote.
‘I will miss you all. Believe me, that is not a trite generalization… I leave the SFPD, but I am taking your friendships with me forever.’
The San Francisco Police Officers Association previously said the suspected killings had hit the department hard.
‘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,’ the association said.
‘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.’
