Judge denies motion to dismiss trial against ex-San Leandro officer who fatally shot Steven Taylor

"Your job is to represent the people, and we are the people. Nancy O'Malley, the district attorney who charged this cop, had never ever charged a cop in her entire tenure. Jason Fletcher was the first one. There is a reason for that. That is because he could have backed up. He could have de-escalated. He could have waited for mental health. There are a bazillion things he could have done,"

""Five years and 7 months, we have been fighting just to get to this point," said Taylor's grandmother Addie Kitchen. Ahead of the court hearing, Kitchen filed a letter urging the judge to listen to the family, claiming their rights under California Law had not been fully honored, citing a number of delays throughout the years. "I'm glad that the judge felt the need to present the case to a jury. Let the jury make a decision," said Kitchen."

"Taylor was shot and killed in 2020 by Fletcher for suspected shoplifting at a Walmart. During the investigation, police released cellphone video that shows Officer Fletcher trying to get Taylor to drop a baseball bat that he had been swinging. Taylor refused and was Tased. Officer Fletcher then shot him and was later accused of using unreasonable deadly force and charged with manslaughter."

A judge denied a motion to dismiss charges against former San Leandro officer Jason Fletcher in the 2020 Walmart shooting that killed Steven Taylor. Family members, including grandmother Addie Kitchen, emphasized lengthy delays and filed a letter alleging their rights under California law were not fully honored. Cellphone video released during the investigation shows Fletcher trying to get Taylor to drop a swinging baseball bat, Tasing him after Taylor refused, and then shooting him. Fletcher faces manslaughter charges for alleged unreasonable deadly force. Community advocates criticized prosecutorial records and called for accountability and de-escalation alternatives.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco