San Francisco Police Officer Charged with Manslaughter after Fatally Shooting Unarmed Carjacking Suspect
Earlier this Thanksgiving holiday week, the District Attorney of San Francisco, Chesa Boudin, announced that homicide charges would be filed against former police officer Chris Samayoa for fatally shooting an unarmed carjacking suspect, 42-year-old Keita O'Neil.
The shooting took place three years ago on December 1, 2017. Samayoa was a rookie cop on the job only four days into his new career. Samayoa was on the field with his training officer when the two responded to a carjacking and robbery call.
O'Neil was believed to have assaulted a California Lottery employee and then proceeded to steal a van that belonged to the agency. Upon arriving at the scene, Samayoa and his training officer proceeded to chase the stolen van. During the chase, a gold SUV was suspected to be part of the carjacking as it followed the van as well. O'Neil drove into a public housing complex and then fled on foot toward the police vehicle.
Samayoa was in the passenger seat, and bodycam footage of the event shows the rookie officer pulling out his weapon and firing a single shot at O'Neil through the windshield. O'Neil was not armed and later died at the hospital. Samayoa was terminated from the force three months after the shooting.
Samayoa faces a range of charges, including voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, assault by a police officer, discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, and assault with a semiautomatic firearm. The will be the first prosecution of a police officer in San Francisco’s history, according to the DA's office.
A Divided Response
The charges against the rookie officer come on the heels of the 2020 social unrest protests and demands for prosecution of police-related shootings. Unsurprisingly, the police officer's union responded with outrage when Samayoa was fired from his job.
The president of the San Francisco Police Officer Association, Tony Montoya shared in a statement the following, "Today we were informed of the charges against former police officer Christopher Samayoa. The criminal justice system will allow for the facts surrounding this case to be disclosed. We are committed to ensuring that Christopher and his family are supported during this difficult time and that he is accorded his due process rights and provided with a vigorous defense against these charges."
The response from the District Attorney's office is quite the opposite. District Attorney Boudin, who recently took office in early January 2020, shared the following in a statement. "For too long, we have seen the failures of our legal system to hold police accountable for the violence committed against the members of the public they are entrusted to keep safe. In my administration, police officers are not above the law."
During his election campaign, DA Boudin promised to take a stance against police misconduct. At a news conference, Boudin explained that the city had a history of officer-involved shootings that resulted in no accountability. Boudin has repeatedly voiced his stance that police cannot be above the law and should be held accountable for their actions on the job.
Two weeks after the shooting, O'Neill's family filed a lawsuit against the San Francisco Police Department. In the initial investigation, O'Neil's mother was represented by John Burris, an Oakland civil rights attorney. Burris called the shooting "unjustified," adding, "Frankly, it's a loss to me how the officer believed his life or anyone else's was in danger. When the officer opens fire from inside the vehicle, and there is no evidence of a deadly weapon being used , it seems like he overacted and panicked."
After the social justice and police reform protests that swept the nation earlier this year, DA Boudin has made it clear which part of the argument he stands on. Other police advocates, including the city's own Police Officer Association president Montoya, contends that Samayoa was just doing his job.
On Monday, O'Neil's mother was informed of the charges. The family released a statement expressing their gratitude for the arrest.
Samayoa is expected to surrender to the court after a judge signed a warrant for his arrest along with bail set at $1,000 earlier this week. A court date has not yet been set.
