VALLEJO, Calif. — An attorney for Sean Monterrosa, the man shot and killed by a Vallejo police officer at a George Floyd protest in June 2020, is fighting to keep the case in a courtroom closer to Vallejo.
Vallejo officers say Monterrosa was crouching down, moving his hands towards his waist, revealing what appeared to be the butt of a handgun. It turned out to be a hammer.
This all comes after city officials in Vallejo announced a criminal investigation because of destroyed evidence in that fatal shooting.
The Vallejo City Attorney's Office claims neither the Monterrosa family nor the city will be given a fair trial by an unbiased jury in the Bay Area or Sacramento. For this reason, the city is seeking a change in venue to Fresno.
"So, I think that's really a misguided effort to try to change and get a better venue for themselves where there will be less diversity," Monterrosa's family attorney John Burris said.
The Vallejo City Attorney's Office is also pushing to prevent Burris from speaking to the press, saying he's trying this case in the media
"We have done nothing outside of being zealous advocates for our clients, which is our duty,” Burris told ABC10.
Footage from a Vallejo Police officer's body-worn camera recorded as the officer fired five shots through the windshield of his squad car. One of those bullets killed Monterrosa.
The attorney's office in a statement said, “The city of Vallejo continues to express condolences to the family of Sean Monterrosa for their tragic loss. The city is committed to ensuring a fair trial and allowing the judicial process to fairly playout for the benefit of both the family and the city.”
Burris plans to respond to Vallejo's legal motion and push back against Vallejo’s claim that they can’t get a fair trial in Sacramento.
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