SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said she plans to drop manslaughter charges against a former police officer who became the first ever charged with an on-duty murder in the city because the charge was politically motivated.
Jenkins said in a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Rob Bonta that she intends to drop the charges against San Francisco police officer Christopher Samayoa at a March 1 hearing.
Samayoa was on his fourth day on the job when he fatally shot Keita O’Neil, a suspected auto thief, during a police chase in 2017.
Chesa Boudin, Jenkins’ predecessor, indicted Samayoa on manslaughter and other charges after he took office in 2020, calling his decision “historic”. Boudin was part of a politically progressive wave of prosecutors campaigning for restorative justice in mass incarceration. He was removed from his post last year amid frustration and concern over the pandemic and viral footage of Asian seniors being assaulted in San Francisco.
In the letter, obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Jenkins said an investigation into Boudin’s handling of the case uncovered internal conflicts. She said the manslaughter charges were filed just before the statute of limitations had expired and the warrant was signed by an investigator assigned to the case days earlier – while the longtime lead investigator was on vacation.
“The irregularities and facts that have come to light in connection with the case against Officer Samayoa indicate that the charges were not made in good faith, appear to be politically motivated and have made it impossible for us to proceed with this prosecution.” .” Jenkins said in a statement on Friday.
Boudin did not immediately return a message on Friday asking for comment. He told the San Francisco Chronicle that he filed the case based on the facts, which he says also led to the Samayoa Police Department and the city firing Samayoa to pay O’Neil’s family a $2.5 million settlement to pay.
“It is clear that Jenkins coordinated with the officer’s defense team to avoid a public hearing on the troubling facts of the case,” he said. “She’s scapegoating me to try to divert attention from what this decision ultimately reveals about her: Jenkins won’t hold everyone equally accountable before the law, she’s deeply politically motivated, and she doesn’t care about the victims of police violence.”
Jenkins said her office asked the attorney general’s office to review the case to support the wishes of O’Neil’s family.
The bureau confirmed on Friday that it had received the application and is reviewing it.
O’Neil, who died in a hospital, was suspected of assaulting a California Lottery employee and stealing a van owned by the agency. Police said they chased the van and another SUV that was driving with it to a public housing area. O’Neil got out of the stolen vehicle and ran toward the squad car in which Samayoa, who was in the passenger seat, and his training officer were sitting.
Body camera footage shows Samayoa drawing his pistol while the cruiser was still moving. The video then shows him opening the side door and firing a single shot through the window while O’Neil runs in the opposite direction. O’Neil, who later died in a hospital, was unarmed.
An attorney for O’Neil’s family, Brian Ford, called Jenkins’ decision to drop the charges “shameful and cowardly.”
“She’s more interested in protecting murderous cops and attacking Boudin than in demanding justice for the citizens of San Francisco,” Ford told the newspaper. “But it means that Attorney General Rob Bonta is even more committed to investigating and bringing charges against Christopher Samayoa in the murder of Keita O’Neil.”
