Related
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley announced Wednesday that she's filed a criminal complaint charging San Leandro Police officer Jason Fletcher with voluntary manslaughter following the April shooting death of a Black man at a San Leandro Walmart store.
The charge stems from the April 18 shooting death of Steven Taylor in the Walmart store at 15555 Hesperian Blvd.
At the time, police said two officers arrived following a reported robbery to find the suspect brandishing a baseball bat. When one of the officers attempted to subdue Taylor using a taser, they weren’t successful. That’s when Fletcher shot the victim.
Taylor, a 33-year-old Black man, was pronounced dead at the scene.
O’Malley released a detailed statement Wednesday afternoon in announcing the charges:
O’Malley went on to say that "charging a police officer with voluntary manslaughter is not a decision that is made lightly, nor rashly."
According to the release, Fletcher was in the Walmart store less than 40 seconds before Taylor was shot and killed. The second officer arrived just as Taylor was shot.
O’Malley’s office said a review of witness statements, physical evidence and multiple videos of the incident "shows that at the time of the shooting it was not reasonable to conclude Mr. Taylor posed an imminent threat of death or great bodily injury to Officer Fletcher or to anyone else in the store."
Fletcher is due in court for arraignment September 15.