SAN LEANDRO, California — Prosecutors have charged a police officer with voluntary manslaughter after he shot and killed a man wielding a baseball bat inside a Walmart in April.
Jason Fletcher, an officer with the San Leandro Police Department, was charged Wednesday in Alameda County in the shooting death of Steven Demarco Taylor, 33, the Sacramento Bee reports.
“The decision to file the criminal complaint was made after an intensive investigation and thorough analysis of the evidence and the current law,” District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said in a news release, according to the Bee. “The work of police officers is critical to the health, safety and well-being of our communities. Their job is one of the most demanding in our society, especially in these current challenging times. They are sworn to uphold and enforce the laws.”
