A Vallejo police officer who shot and killed a 22-year-old man last year violated department policy by not trying to de-escalate the situation, according to findings in an independent investigation released late Thursday.
The key finding in the probe, conducted by the OIR Group, was that the officer’s “determination to use deadly force was not objectively reasonable.”
In June 2020, a Vallejo police officer shot and killed Sean Monterrosa while responding to a report of looting at a Walgreens store during the George Floyd protests. Monterrosa was in the parking lot and had a hammer in his sweatshirt pocket. Police say the officer mistook that hammer for a gun.
The 66-page report released Thursday night says the officer fired his service rifle rapidly through the windshield of his patrol car. Officer body cams captured footage of the shooting.
The report describes the officer’s response as “tactically poor” and says the officer didn’t use any de-escalation techniques.
It is now up to the Vallejo Police Department to decide whether or not the officer will face disciplinary action.
The state attorney general’s office has launched its own investigation into the shooting.
The Monterossa family told NBC Bay Area they need some time to process the report’s findings before they comment.
Source: NBC Bay Area