A 25-year-old man who formerly worked for the White House is charged with the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, according to authorities.
San Francisco police officers arrested Nation Wood on an involuntary manslaughter charge in connection with the shooting of a woman on Tuesday, March 24, police announced in a Thursday, March 26, news release.
The woman has been identified as Wood’s girlfriend, 22-year-old Samantha Emge, according to KTVU and other news outlets.
According to authorities, a preliminary investigation suggests the shooting was a potential accident, the TV station reported.
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Wood’s attorney, public defender Doug Welch, was quoted by the TV station as saying the incident “does seem like a horrific accident.”
Wood reportedly told authorities that he shot Emge by mistake when she was showering at his San Francisco apartment, according to a source who spoke with The San Francisco Standard. The source was not identified by name.
Wood described “dry-firing” his gun inside his residence without knowing that the weapon had been loaded, the source told the news outlet.
Following the shooting, officers found Emge with a gunshot wound and “rendered aid,” according to police.
Then first responders took over lifesaving efforts and took Emge to a hospital, where she was ultimately declared dead, police said.
Wood pleaded not guilty in connection with the shooting at an arraignment on Friday, March 27, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Wood’s family members and Emge’s family members attended the proceeding, where Wood appeared to be crying in the courtroom, according to the newspaper.
Both Wood and Emge are graduates of San Francisco State University, the newspaper reported.
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Wood most recently worked as a self-employed, “independent pre-event site security advisor,” according to his LinkedIn page.
His LinkedIn profile also lists him as having worked for the White House part-time between November 2023 and July 2025.
A White House spokesperson told the San Francisco Chronicle that he worked for the White House under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Wood’s bail was set at $300,000 on March 27, according to Mission Local.
In court, Welch disagreed with the bail amount and argued in support of lowering it, the non-profit news organization reported.
“From the moment this happened, Mr. Wood never moved anywhere away from doing anything, other than trying to get Emge help,” Welch said, according to Mission Local. “When the police arrived, from the beginning until the end, he was 100 percent cooperative and open with them. Not an iota of movement or word to indicate anything else.”
