An Alameda County judge has refused to pull the plug on the manslaughter case against former San Leandro police officer Jason Fletcher, ruling yesterday that a jury should sort out the disputed evidence. The decision follows a charged courtroom showdown that exposed years of prosecutorial turnover, internal infighting, and bitter disputes over expert work. The ruling keeps alive criminal charges stemming from the 2020 Walmart shooting that killed Steven Taylor and puts the next move squarely on prosecutors.
Judge Denies Motion To Dismiss
Judge Thomas Reardon denied the defense motion to dismiss and instructed the attorneys that he wanted "12 citizens of the county to opine" rather than ending the prosecution himself. The hearing became tense after three former prosecutors invoked their Fifth Amendment rights, and Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Casey Bates criticized what he described as "outrageous prosecutorial misconduct" within his own office. Reardon ultimately found that whatever went wrong behind the scenes did not meet the legal bar for dismissal and sent the case on a path toward trial, as reported by KQED.
Prosecutors' Unusual Stance And Family Objection
The judge’s ruling landed even as the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office signaled it would not oppose dismissal, an unusual stance in a high-profile police shooting case that alarmed Taylor’s relatives and community advocates. Taylor’s grandmother, Addie Kitchen, filed a written objection under Marsy’s Law, arguing that the family had not received timely notice of expert interviews, disclosures, or other investigative moves. Kitchen also alleged that the office took investigative steps between April and September 2025 while it was legally recused under Penal Code §1424, according to the Davis Vanguard.
What Happened Inside The Walmart
The shooting on April 18, 2020, unfolded inside the Walmart at 15555 Hesperian Boulevard in San Leandro, with prosecutors saying less than 40 seconds passed between Fletcher walking in and the fatal gunshot. Body-camera footage and charging documents show officers deployed Tasers, and that Fletcher fired a single round into Steven Taylor’s chest after a brief confrontation over an aluminum bat. That rapid timeline, and the mix of Taser use and live gunfire in such a short window, have become central battle lines for both prosecution and defense, per KQED.
Why This Still Matters
Beyond the deadly encounter itself, the case has been buffeted by disqualifications and venue disputes. A judge sent the matter back to Alameda County this year after the local DA’s office was briefly recused, and a trial calendar has already surfaced in recent hearings. Court watchers say the latest hearing laid bare broader questions about how use-of-force cases get investigated and how district attorney offices handle internal disagreements. The coming months will reveal whether prosecutors will actually put the case in front of a jury or whether further legal maneuvering alters the trajectory, according to NBC Bay Area.
Legal Implications
Legal observers say the hearing turned on two big legal pressure points: discovery duties under Brady and victims’ procedural rights under Marsy’s Law. Kitchen’s filing invokes Marsy’s Law to argue the family should have been notified and allowed to speak before any move to drop the case, and her allegations about recusal and internal investigative steps add yet another wrinkle to a prosecution that has stretched more than five years, per the Davis Vanguard. For now, Judge Reardon has deferred the most challenging questions to a jury, keeping the spotlight on how Alameda County chooses to proceed with this case.
