On Thursday, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley announced felony charges against 20-year veteran San Leandro Police Officer Jason Fletcher in the shooting death of 33-year-old Steven Taylor in April at a San Leandro Walmart. The district attorney said Fletcher would be charged with voluntary manslaughter, a felony charge. Attorney O’Malley explained in a statement that after a full review, “it was not reasonable to conclude, Mr. Steven Taylor posed an imminent threat of death or great bodily injury to either Officer Fletcher or to anyone else in the store”
When police initially spoke to the media about the incident, they detailed two officers shooting multiple tasers at Steven Taylor as he threatened them with a weapon. At the time, according to police, unable to subdue Taylor, Fletcher shot and killed him. And while this preliminary report was half true, the other half, provided by multiple witnesses, cell phone video, and the officer’s own body camera, told a different version of events and how quickly and fatally they unfolded for Taylor.
On April 18, 2020, in the late afternoon, San Leandro Police Officer Jason Fletcher responded to a call from a Walmart store of a shoplifter holding a bat, threatening people. Steven Taylor had reportedly walked into the store, grabbed an aluminum bat and a tent and then attempted to exit the store without paying. Security officers had stopped him and called the police. According to reports and the DA, customers attempted to give Taylor money in order to purchase the items, but he politely refused.
An important note here: Officer Fletcher arrived by foot, as he was in the vicinity when the 911 call was made. Upon arriving at the store, Fletcher saw his backup, Officer Everton, parking his squad car.
Fletcher arrived at the store and after briefly conferring with a store security guard, confronted Steven Taylor. Fletcher attempted to take the bat from Taylor, at which point Taylor became agitated and pushed away from the officer, about 17 feet. Fletcher told Taylor to drop the bat and then deployed his Taser, hitting Taylor. In the video you can see Taylor react to the taser, his arms coming down and squeezing against his sides as he very visibly attempts to stay upright.
At this point, the bat Taylor is holding is directed toward the floor, as Taylor is semi-hunched over. The Alameda County District Attorney’s office says that, “Mr. Taylor posed no threat of imminent deadly force or serious bodily injury to defendant Fletcher or anyone else in the store.” Just as backup Officer Overton arrives, Fletcher shoots his service firearm, and a single bullet hits Taylor in the chest. Taylor staggers back, turns and drops the bat, and then falls face-forward onto the floor. It is at this point that backup Officer Overton deploys his taster into a man who is lying facedown, possibly already deceased.
It is clear from the video that Taylor isn’t doing anything right. He isn’t listening to the officer and he is openly agitated. But it is also clear that something terrible is going on with him, and everyone around him, everyone in the store (besides Officer Fletcher) seems to realize that and understand a level of patience is needed.
Officer Fletcher arrived on the scene, walked up to a suspected shoplifter who was holding a bat, and 40 seconds later he had shot Steven Taylor with both a taser and a firearm, killing him.
CBS News Bay Area reporter Andrea Nakano reported that Taylor’s grandmother, who spoke to Nakano by phone, reacted to the charges against Officer Fletcher by saying, “I know you cannot see me, but can you hear me smiling,” telling Nakano that she was happy and relieved the charges were filed in the shooting death of her grandson.
Warning: This video below is very graphic.
Warning: This video below is very graphic.
