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Report contradicts Vallejo police chief Shawny Williams’ statement in officer fatal shooting of unarmed Sean Monterrosa, 22 – who was on his knees with his hands in the air – from the backseat of a moving police cruiser last month

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‘What did he point at us?’ – Det. Jarrett Tonn after shooting suspect from the backseat of moving cruiser on arrival at the scene
‘I don’t know, man’  –  Second officer 
‘Hey, he pointed a gun at us!’ – Tonn
Is the VPD ‘back filling the truth’?
Vallejo Police officer, a member of the infamous ‘Fatal 14’ group of officers  shot dead a man who was on his knees with his hands in the air, as the officer’s cruiser pulled into a Walgreens parking lot while responding to reports of looting
The Vallejo Police Dept released bodycam footage of the night Sean Monterrosa, 22, was shot dead in Vallejo, California on June 2
Footage however does not show Monterrosa before the shooting – The police cruiser did not have a dashcam, police said and CCTV allegedly had been destroyed by looters 
Police accounts of Monterrosa’s actions have also changed from their account of the night’s event
Authorities said Monterrosa was outside a Walgreens and allegedly knelt ‘as if in preparation to shoot
They initially reported that he was on his knees and had his hands raised in the air
Monterrosa’s family through their attorney have expressed the fear of a blue wall cover up afoot
The Vallejo Police Department have been the subject of dozens of lawsuits over excessive force
Detective Jarrett Tonn shot Monterrosa dead, but in footage questioned ‘What did he point at us?’
Monterrosa did not have have possession of a gun, but did have a long hammer on his pocket 
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, has declined state investigation of the Monterrosa killing, leaving it to the discretion of the County DA’s office
Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams, has also recused her office from investigating police killing of Sean Monterrosa, despite public outcry
Sean Monterrosa [left] was shot dead by  Detective Jarrett Tonn, [right] 1San Francisco native Sean Monterrosa (left) was shot dead by a officer with the Vallejo Police Department, identified by local reports as Detective Jarrett Tonn, on June 2. The veteran policeman has had three prior shootings since 2015 

Police body camera footage was released Wednesday of the moment a 22-year-old California man on his knees was shot dead by a ‘Fatal 14’ officer who fired from the backseat of a moving vehicle while responding to reports of looting.

The gap in the search for a comprehensive account is exacerbated by the fact that the police cruiser did not have a dash cameras either.
The Vallejo Police Department said the only exterior security camera at the scene was destroyed in a ‘previous looting incident’ after a reportedly volatile night following protests over the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement.


Vallejo, California Police Dept release ‘After’ video amidst controversy over police-involved fatal shooting of a presumed ‘looter’ they believed was aiming a gun at their mving cruiser whilst on his knees, arms raised

On the night, three Vallejo police officers dispatched to a local Walgreens store after reports of looting and encountered the victim, Sean Monterrosa, Police Chief Shawny Williams says in a recorded message accompanying the video.
Williams adds that there was a previous incident at the scene where a police cruiser was rammed and officers reported seeing several ‘potential looters’ get into cars and flee the scene.
When additional officers arrived in a pickup truck at the scene, Monterrosa began running towards a vehicle, then stopped and crouched in a half-kneeling position towards the officers, according to Williams.
An officer told investigators that he believed Monterrosa was armed that night with a gun in pocket and was kneeling ‘as if in preparation to shoot.’
This new account by Chief Williams contradicts an initial the police report that said Monterrosa was on his knees with his hands above his waist.

Shawny Williams 1Where lies the truth? The report released Wednesday contradicts the version from Vallejo police chief Shawny Williams [photo] in officer Jarrett Tonn’s fatal shooting of 22-year-old Sean Monterrosa on June 2. Why the 24 hour delay in announcing the death? Monterrosa’s family believes that the VPD is ‘back filling the truth’
Vallejo Police truck stops near the body of Sean Monterrosa 1Pickup truck carrying Vallejo police officers sits near the bullet riddled body of Monterrosa (right) lying in the car park
Vallejo Police apply first aid to unresponsive body of Sean Monterrosa 2Police body camera footage shows officers administering medical treatment, like chest compressions, to Monterrosa’s unresponsive body after shooting him 
Jarrett Tonn shot Monterrosa 5 times from the back seat of the cruiser 1Bodycam footage shows that Det. Tonn shot five times at Monterrosa from the backseat of a police cruiser
Jarret Tonn ask other cops, What did he point at us 1After shooting Monterrosa, Tonn is then heard asking his colleagues ‘What did he point at us?’ The report showed that officer Tonn shot and killed Monterrosa before the vehicle stopped and he ascertained that the victim was unarmed or in a menacing posture
  Vallejo authorities claim they spotted several 'potential looters' outside a Vallejo Walgreens after a night of volatile clashes and looting took place in JuneVallejo PD allege they spotted several ‘potential looters’ outside a Vallejo Walgreens after a night of volatile clashes and looting took place in June

Speaking to The Guardian Burris highlighted the contradictions exposed by the footage, released more than a month after the killing,  that shows that the officer fired the shots from inside his car before he had fully stopped his vehicle.
Furthermore, i
n the seconds after the shooting, two officers questioned whether Monterrosa was armed, Tonne is heard saying: “What did he point at us?” and the other responding: “I don’t know.”
Reinforcing his argument is the fact that a
fter the shooting, an officer suggested that Monterrosa was fleeing, saying: “He ran, he ran!”.
Another
 officer had multiple outbursts after the killing, shouting: “This is not what I fucking needed today!” and “Stupid!
The footage makes clear there was “no de-escalation” and “no justification” for lethal force, said John Burris, the family’s attorney.
“He was never given a chance. He was just shot,” Burris

More than a dozen police officers with the Vallejo Police Department are known as a the ‘Fatal 14’ by residents because they have repeatedly shot and killed civilians, apparently without severe consequences.
The most recent officer-involved shooting in happened June 2nd when Monterrosa of San Francisco was shot outside a Walgreens on Redwood Street, during a night of looting.
Detective Jarrett Tonn, who shot Sean Monterrosa on the night of June 2, is one of those police officers and was involved in at least three other shootings in just three years.
Det. Tonn fired five shots from inside his cruiser, hitting Monterrosa who had a hammer in his pocket, which Tonn an 18-year veteran claims he thought was a firearm.
Police typically have 45 days to release officer video of the incident unless it interferes with the investigation.
Until the protests apparently forced their hand,s Vallejo police had given no such indication, prompting victim’s attorney John Burris to request the release of video evidence.
‘The fatal 14 are the 14 officers who are currently still on VPD staff who have been part of more than one police shooting,’ said resident Obinna Chinaka, one of the protesters who demanded body camera footage be released told KTVU.
‘And have not been reprimanded or removed from the staff.’
In one instance, former officer Sean Kenney shot dead three residents over a five month span. He was later promoted to detective.
Monterrosa’s death is the 18th police-involved shooting since 2010 in Vallejo.
Residents have called for the department to be defunded after there were 18 fatal police shootings since 2010.
The Vallejo Police Department was also the subject of several lawsuits over police brutality and excessive force.
The California Department of Justice spoke with Vallejo officials to implement an ‘extensive review’ of the police department.

Sean Monterrosa 3The most recent officer-involved shooting in Vallejo, Calif., happened June 2nd when 22-year-old Sean Monterrosa of San Francisco was shot outside a Walgreens on Redwood Street, during a night of looting. Activists say ‘We want to know whether it’s a police officer’s imagination that justified the shooting [of Sean Monterrosa], or that there’s some real evidence to support that’. 

The Vallejo Police Department, just 30 miles from Monterrosa’s home in San Francisco, was the subject of dozens of lawsuits over excessive force and overly forceful policing.
In one case, four officers were seen on body camera footage attacking an unarmed white man with punches, kicks and batons as he screamed ‘I didn’t do anything!
Tonn has become one of 14 officers whom residents call the ‘Fatal 14’ because they’ve repeatedly shot and killed civilians.
Open Vallejo, an independent and nonpartisan public interest newsroom, 
reported that Tonn was involved in at least three other shootings dating between 2015 and 2017.
In those instances, victims  Gerald Brown and Kevin DeCarlo suffered gunshot wounds. Victor Hurtado, a third victim, was shot at but avoided injury.
Monterrosa’s death is the 18th fatal police shooting since 2010, and the majority of victims were Black and brown men.
The victim’s sisters have been vocal in their questioning of the Vallejo police, which they said misrepresented the timeline of Monterrosa’s death.
An initial press release failed to explain that Monterrosa was dead, and Chief Williams did not disclose that fact until the next afternoon during a press conference.
According to Monterrosa’s family, he was confirmed dead about one hour after he was admitted to a local hospital for treatment.
‘The department worked as quickly as reasonably possible to gather accurate information from the initial phases of the investigation to share with the public,’ the department said on it’s website.

 

Sean Monterrosa 5Memorial to Sean Monterrosa, George Floyd and other victims of police violence at Lake Merritt in Oakland
Timothy S Grayson tweet on police killing of Sean Monterrosa 1California California Assembly member Timothy S. Grayson released a statement calling for an independent investigation into the shooting of Sean Monterrosa
Krishna Abrams 1Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams [photo], has recused her office from investigating police killing of Sean Monterrosa despite public outcry

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