'CHARGED'
Who was Steven Taylor, 33, and why was he fatally shot in Walmart by Jason Fletcher?
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Here is more on Steven Taylor’s death.
Who was Steven Taylor?
Taylor, 33, was a black man who was fatally shot by a white cop inside of a Walmart in Alameda County on April 18.
Why was he fatally shot in Walmart?
Cops were called to the Walmart when Taylor had allegedly tried to leave the Walmart without paying for a purchase, according to CBS San Francisco.
When police searched the Walmart store, there were no signs that a theft had occurred, but they found Taylor wielding a baseball bat.
Bodycam footage shows the officers ordering him to drop the bat multiple times, but Taylor refused.
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Taylor then dropps the bat, which Fletcher proceeds to grab before he shoots him with a third taser - all in less than 40 seconds, prosecutors said.
Fletcher did not wait for backup to arrive prior to pulling out the handgun.
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley announced the charge against the San Leandro cop on Wednesday.
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"A thorough review of the statements of witnesses and involved police officers, physical evidence and the review of multiple videos of the shooting shows that at the time of the shooting it was not reasonable to conclude Mr. Taylor posed an imminent threat of death or great bodily injury to Officer Fletcher or to anyone else in the store," O'Malley said.
"I believe Officer Fletcher's actions, coupled with his failure to attempt other de-escalation options rendered his use of deadly force unreasonable and a violation of Penal Code Section 192(a), Voluntary Manslaughter.''
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Who is the cop that shot him?
Officer Jason Fletcher is a 20-year veteran for San Leandro, California’s department.
He has been placed on administrative leave since the shooting in April, officials say.
In a statement, San Leandro Police Chief Jeff Tudor said: "As the Police Chief of San Leandro, I know the loss of Steven Taylor has deeply affected this community.
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“Today, the District Attorney has charged Officer Jason Fletcher with voluntary manslaughter.
“It is important that we allow the judicial process to take its course. I will refer all questions to the District Attorney's Office."
Fletcher's attorney Michael Rains claimed his client feared for his life and defended himself, as Taylor was waiving the bat at the time of the shooting.
"You know the law doesn't require officers, even in today's day and age, to have their brains bashed out with a lethal instrument, which a baseball bat is," said Rains.
Fletcher will be arraigned on September 15.
How many police-related deaths occur annually?
Police brutality against black Americans has fueled marches against officers all over the world
- Police have killed 765 people in 2020, according to Mapping Police Violence
- Black people have been 28% of those killed by police in 2020 despite being only 13% of the population
- Black people are three times more likely to be killed by police than white people
- They are also 1.3 times more likely to be unarmed compared to white people
- Police killed more people in the first half of 2020 than they have during the past five years
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What did Taylor’s family say?
Family members of Taylor claimed that he was homeless at the time and may have been having a mental episode.
But they believe he could have been talked down by authorities.
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Friends of the family say that they felt they had to settle with whatever charge the officer was given despite his actions.
"At the end of the day we're very happy with what it is to me it's just sad that black people have to settle."
Hundreds of protesters have been marching all over the world with the movement due to police brutality claiming the lives of , and .
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