Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson recently filed a motion to dismiss the manslaughter case against former officer Jason Fletcher for the 2020 Walmart shooting that resulted in the death of Steven Taylor. Dickson cited an inability to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt following an ethical review and assessment of evidence that revealed previously withheld exculpatory details.
The dismissal has generated strong emotions within the community, drawing ire from activists and Taylor’s family. At a courthouse demonstration, Cat Brooks of the Anti Police-Terror Project, unsatisfied with the lack of justice served, told KTVU, via Hoodline, that the DA's decision was "egregious, vile, vicious, and disgusting." Working to ensure the case proceeds, Taylor's grandmother, Addie Kitchen, declared a continued fight against the DA's motion.
Dickson's office pointed to the problematic nature of the case initially charged by former DA Nancy O’Malley, where even a preliminary examination judge doubted the likelihood of a conviction. In revising the case's history, Dickson emphasized that the charges filed on September 2, 2020, met the probable cause standard but were weak in evidence, a stance also expressed by a judge in July 2021 in an email press release.
The motion to dismiss further indicates, as stated in a report by SF Chronicle, that expert opinions consulted by the DA's office, including two from the previous administration led by Pamela Price, believed Fletcher acted in self-defense. A third expert's nuanced view and the defense's own expert concurred with the self-defense claim. "This was clearly a case of self-defense," Fletcher’s attorney, Mike Rains, stated, acknowledging the tragedy of the incident.
Despite the legal turmoil, Taylor's family remains driven to achieve what they perceive to be justice, as they plan to occupy the courtroom during the hearing for the DA’s dismissal request, which is set to be reviewed by Judge Clifford Blakely on Friday, according to the information reported by Hoodline. The contentious nature of this case continues to highlight the complexities and challenges found within the justice system as it intersects with public sentiment and ethical standards of the legal process.
