19-year-old nabbed for gun attack outside chic San Francisco hotel that left father of two paralyzed

April 17, 2026

A 19-year-old man accused of a shooting that left a father paralyzed from the chest down has been arrested after a five-month SFPD investigation and will appear in court today for a preliminary hearing.

Giovanni Banks is charged with attempted murder after prosecutors say he drew a handgun and opened fire on a group outside the Found Hotel on Mason Street in the early hours of October 26 2025.

Witnesses told police an argument broke out before the shooting.

The victim, a 37-year-old father of two, was hit in the chest, neck and left arm. He is now paralyzed from the chest down.

After the attack, Banks ran from the scene and called a Lyft from one block away. The rideshare dropped him in Emeryville.

Security cameras captured the shooting and tracked Banks as he fled to a Toyota Corolla at Cyril Magnin Street and O’Farrell Street. Investigators identified the car as a Lyft and obtained the account details along with video footage from inside the vehicle. The footage, police say, proves Banks was the passenger and the shooter.

An arrest warrant was issued March 10 2026. Banks was nabbed five days later at a Starbucks in Campbell.

In a twist, police say the gun used in the attack turned up months later in the hands of 23-year-old Masaiyah Sharp, who was arrested February 18 2026 in the Tenderloin. The ghost gun Sharp was carrying has been forensically linked to the October shooting.

The victim’s troubles didn’t end with being shot. A witness pointed cops to his Mercedes, parked nearby, in which they found a gun in the center console.

Banks has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, assault and gun possession. He also faces gun charges in Alameda County from a February 6 2026 incident.

At today’s preliminary hearing, a judge will decide whether there’s enough evidence to send Banks to trial.

The case continues.