VALLEJO, Calif. — California's Department of Justice nixed a request to review the results of an ongoing case by the Solano County District Attorney's office.
The case involves the alleged shooting and killing of a man by a Vallejo police officer from June 2.
Officials said a police officer shot and killed Sean Monterrosa, 22 of San Francisco, at a Walgreens after someone reported looting at the store. Authorities said the officer shot him when the victim reached toward his waistband and the officer mistook a hammer in the victim's waistband for a gun.
Monterrosa died at the hospital.
The District Attorney's office sought help from the California DOJ, but, in a statement to ABC10, officials said District Attorney Krishna Abrams was capable of "fully and fairly" completing the investigations.
"Her letter to DOJ requesting that DOJ assume the Vallejo investigations and prosecutions points to a lack of community trust in the process that she oversees," the DOJ said in a statement. "This is, of course, an issue of critical importance, and one that the Department of Justice hopes to help Vallejo address by engaging in our recently-announced comprehensive review and reform of the Vallejo Police Department."
A number of families have demanded Abrams to prosecute the officers involved in those shootings or recuse herself. The issues include more than just Monterrosa's death.
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Paula McGowan said her son was shot in the back during a 2018 incident with Vallejo police.
In 2019, officers shot Willie McCoy at a Taco Bell drive-thru where he fell asleep with a gun in his lap and appeared to be reaching for it as he awoke, the police department said.
Abrams told ABC10 that her office is exploring more avenues for an independent review of the case. However, Abrams didn't give any additional details on the matter, noting that it could jeopardize their efforts.
READ MORE:
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