Shooting of Sean Monterrosa

On June 2, 2020, Sean Monterrosa, a 22-year-old Latino American man, was fatally shot by Vallejo police officer Jarrett Tonn.[1] Monterrosa was on his knees and had his hands above his waist when Tonn shot him through his windshield. The police later said Tonn shot him because he believed a hammer in Monterrosa's pocket was a gun.[2] Monterrosa later died at a local hospital.[3]

Shooting of Sean Monterrosa
Part of George Floyd protests
DateJune 2, 2020 (2020-06-02)
Timec. 12:30 a.m. (PDT, UTC−08:00)
LocationVallejo, California, US
Coordinates38.1230°N 122.2498°W / 38.1230; -122.2498
TypeShooting
DeathsSean Monterrosa

The event sparked outrage in the Bay Area, particularly in Vallejo, which has a long history of police violence, excessive force complaints, and high-profile killings, including the February 2019 shooting of Willie McCoy.[2]

People involved
San Francisco, CA

Sean Monterrosa (age 22) was of Argentinean descent.[4] He grew up in San Francisco and attended an arts high school. He had worked for a Boys & Girls Club.[2] Less than an hour before Monterrosa was shot, he texted his sister a petition demanding justice for George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police a week earlier.[5] Monterrosa was laid to rest on June 19, 2020.[6]

Jarett Tonn has been a police officer in the Vallejo Police Department since 2014, after working for the Galt Police Department from 2007 to 2014.[7] Monterrosa's killing was the fourth time in five years that Jarrett Tonn had shot at a person while on duty, including two shootings within six weeks in 2017 and a shooting in 2015 where Tonn fired 18 times.[1] None of the three prior shootings resulted in a death and Tonn was cleared of wrongdoing by internal investigations in each case.[1] Over the last decade, Vallejo police shot 32 people, 18 of whom were killed, in which time no officer has been fired for their role in a shooting.[1]

Incident

Monterrosa was killed at 12:30 a.m. on June 2, while the city of Vallejo was under curfew in response to looting[8], although police did not reveal his death until a June 3 news conference. Police chief Shawny Williams said police were responding to a report of a possible looting at a branch of Walgreens[3] and when officers arrived they saw 10 to 12 people in the parking lot.[9] Two vehicles, a black sedan and a silver pickup truck, fled the area, resulting in a car chase where the truck rammed an officer's car and injured an officer. Two officers in an unmarked police car claimed Monterrosa appeared to be running towards the black sedan but he suddenly stopped, took a kneeling position, and placed his hands above his waist.[10]

After doing so, officers claim that they mistook the end of a 15-inch hammer sticking out of his sweatshirt pocket for a gun. While still sitting in the unmarked police car, Tonn fired five shots towards Monterrosa. Only one bullet struck Monterrosa and killed him.[9][5] Monterrosa had prior arrests on suspicion of theft, shoplifting, shooting into a home, attempted murder, and weapons charges.[11]

Aftermath

Release of information

On June 3, 2020, police revealed that "there had been an 'officer-involved shooting'" at a press conference, yet declined to offer specifics on whether it was fatal and who was involved. The name of the officer involved was not released.[3] The Bay Area News Group identified the shooter as Jarrett Tonn on June 5.[1]

On June 5, the Vallejo police union released a statement, saying that Monterrosa did not surrender but adopted "a tactical shooting position" and that the hammer in his possession resembled a gun.[1] On June 15, the Vallejo police union filed a temporary restraining order to prevent the release of the name of any officer involved in the killing.[12] On June 16, the city of Vallejo announced it would oppose the motion in court and would “seek to defend the [c]ity’s right to release the name of the officer(s) at a time and through a method of its choosing.”[12]

Civil suit

The Monterrosa family is being represented by civil rights and police brutality attorney John Burris.[13] Burris has issued a statement condemning Tonn's overreaction as Monterrosa had done nothing to threaten the police and was not threatening anyone with a weapon, even if he had been armed with one.[5] Burris said that "[t]here is a 22-year-old kid who is now dead who appeared to be surrendering and he is shot down in cold blood."[14] Burris has also announced that he intends to file a civil suit against the city of Vallejo.[6]

Independent investigation

On June 5, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced an investigation into the Vallejo Police Department dating back to 2013.[1] U.S. Representative Mike Thompson and Assemblyperson Tim Grayson had called for an independent investigation into the killing, with Grayson saying that "it is absolutely unacceptable that the public was forced to wait for over 24 hours to learn of the conditions of those involved in the shooting," regardless of the circumstances.[1][15]

Reactions

Monterrosa's sisters have called for the release of body camera video of the killing of their brother by Vallejo police.[14]

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution urging the city of Vallejo to release the body camera video of the incident.[14]

Protestors have gathered in Vallejo to ask for officers involved to be charged "to the fullest extent of the law" and to call for the release of body camera video.[16]

References
  1. Debolt, David; Gartell, Nate; Glidden, John (June 5, 2020). "Exclusive: Vallejo officer who killed SF man had three prior shootings as a policeman". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  2. Levin, Sam (June 5, 2020). "California: Vallejo police kill unarmed 22-year-old, who was on his knees with his hands up". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  3. Cassidy, Megan (June 3, 2020). "SF resident was kneeling when fatally shot by Vallejo police during civil unrest". San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  4. "Family of Man Killed By Vallejo Officer: 'They Executed Him'". SFist. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  5. Cassidy, Megan; Cabanatuan, Michael (June 5, 2020). "Family of Sean Monterrosa, the SF man killed by Vallejo police, speaks out: 'My brother was kneeling and surrendering'". SFChronicle.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  6. Cassidy, Megan (June 19, 2020). "Sean Monterrosa, SF man killed in controversial Vallejo police shooting, laid to rest". sfchronicle.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  7. Tucker, Jill; Swan, Rachel (June 8, 2020). "Vallejo officer who shot unarmed man had three other shootings on record". sfchronicle.com. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  8. "2020 Curfew". www.cityofvallejo.net. City of Vallejo. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  9. Reinstein, Julia; Samaha, Albert (June 4, 2020). "Police Fatally Shot A Man Who Was Kneeling After Mistaking A Hammer In His Pocket For A Gun". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  10. O'Kane, Caitlin (June 5, 2020). ""Say their names": The list of people injured or killed in officer-involved incidents is still growing". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  11. Gartrell, Nate; Glidden, John (June 3, 2020). "Vallejo police shot, killed man with hammer at waistband; chief won't say if it was excessive force". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  12. Glidden, John; DeBolt, David (June 16, 2020). "Vallejo police union files suit to stop city from naming officer who shot Sean Monterrosa". eastbaytimes.com. East Bay Times. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  13. Brown, Taylor Kate (June 3, 2020). "Bay Briefing: Vallejo's history - and present - of deadly police shootings". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  14. Stone, J.R. (June 16, 2020). "Family of man killed by Vallejo police wants body camera video released". abc7news.com. ABC7News. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  15. Gartrell, Nate (June 10, 2020). "Report contradicts Vallejo police chief's claim in officer's fatal shooting of 22-year-old". mercurynews.com. The Mercury News. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  16. John, Kevin (June 13, 2020). "Hundreds of people protest death of San Francisco man shot by Vallejo police". abc10.com. ABC10. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
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