VALLEJO, Calif. — Former Vallejo police officer Jarrett Tonn has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing for shooting and killing Sean Monterrosa.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta made the announcement Tuesday after the state's Department of Justice reviewed the circumstances of the June 2, 2020, killing.
He said the department didn't have sufficient evidence to support a criminal conviction against the police officer.
“Sean Monterrosa’s life mattered and there is nothing that can make up for his death. His loss is and will continue to be felt by his family and the Bay Area community,” said Bonta. “It’s critical that these difficult incidents undergo a transparent, fair, and thorough review. My office remains committed to doing everything in our power to prevent these kinds of incidents from occurring and putting forward policy solutions to help ensure law enforcement are responsive to the needs of their communities.”
Tonn fatally shot the 22-year-old after he fired from the backseat of an unmarked police car through the windshield with two other officers in the vehicle.
Police were in the area responding to reports of looting during national protests over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Tonn fired a rifle five times through the windshield of his patrol pickup, hitting a kneeling Monterrosa once in the head. Police said they initially thought Monterrosa was carrying a handgun in his waistband, but they found a hammer in the pocket of a sweatshirt he was wearing.
Video released by the Vallejo Police Department a month after the shooting shows Tonn firing from the backseat of the moving vehicle that was carrying two other officers.
The windshield of the patrol pickup truck, considered a key piece of evidence in the case, was destroyed, leading city officials to seek a criminal investigation into how that happened. Bonta took the case in 2021 after Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams recused herself.
Michelle Monterrosa, Sean Monterrosa’s sister, said Tuesday she found Bonta’s decision frustrating and disappointing.
“It’s just really disappointing that we see people put their political careers ahead of actually doing what they need to do to bring justice to our loved ones,” she said.
Tonn was terminated last year after an independent third-party investigation determined he violated several department policies, including using deadly force that was not objectively reasonable, failing to de-escalate the situation and failing to activate his body-worn camera in a timely manner.
Officers in the department have come under repeated criticism in other cases as well.
In July 2020, then-Police Chief Shawny Williams said he was starting an independent investigation after two people in the department said officers had their badges bent to mark on-duty killings.
"We recently negotiated a civil stipulated judgment with the Vallejo Police Department to institute crucially necessary reforms to their policies and practices," Bonta said.
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