Name: 22-year-old killed: Hammer mistaken for gun in fatal police shooting, Vallejo police say
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22-year-old killed: Hammer mistaken for gun in fatal police shooting, Vallejo police say

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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateVallejo Police shot and killed a 22-year-old man shortly after midnight Tuesday during the suspected looting of a Walgreens, Chief Shawny Williams told reporters and protesters in a public press conference Wednesday afternoon.The man, identified as Sean Monterrosa of San Francisco, was with a group of people police say targeted the Walgreens pharmacy.Officers arriving at the scene reported seeing 10-12 people getting into two vehicles. The first, a silver truck, drove off; the second, a black sedan hit an unmarked police SUV, setting off the airbag and injuring the officer inside.Simultaneously, Williams said, one officer reported he observed a man in black clothing who appeared to be armed standing in front of the store. An officer can be heard over police radio saying "wearing all black, looks like they're armed — possibly armed," and 22 second later, "shots fired."The chief said Monterossa appeared to be running toward the black sedan, but "suddenly stopped, taking a kneeling position, and placing his hands above his waist, revealing what appeared to be a handgun."Williams said police pursued the truck to Rodeo where at least one person was arrested, but never located the black sedan or its occupants.The officer, an 18-year veteran of the force, then fired from inside his vehicle five times, breaking the police car's windshield in the process. One shot hit the Monterrosa, fatally wounding him. Investigators later discovered that he did not have a gun, but rather, "a long, 15-inch hammer tucked into the pocket of his sweatshirt."Involved officers have since been placed on administrative leave and the Solano County District Attorneys Office is investigating the event, while the Vallejo Police Department will be conducting its own internal affairs professional standards investigation. Police departments have 45 days to release body cam footage after a shooting, but Williams noted, "I believe in&nbsp; rapid transparency, so we’ll get the video up as soon as we can.""It's always a tragedy any time an officer has to use force," Williams stated to reporters. "My condolences to his family. It is a difficult thing to happen. I am here and we are here to put out information so we are open and transparent. Since I have been here in Vallejo, we've made many changes in terms of de-escalation policy, in terms of body cam policy, and in terms of how we analyze use of force."Williams also said the National Guard had been called into Vallejo on Tuesday "because of Monday night.""Monday was a horrible night, something we’ve never seen in 27 years," he said. "It was a coordinated attack, it was an orchestrated, organized assault on our city."Williams said there were advertisements on social media, telling people to "come to Vallejo and commit looting and crime." The resulting events prompted the call to the National Guard."Our officers are exhausted but resilient," he said, "but we needed additional resources to safeguard many of businesses that were frankly severely damaged Monday."Protests related to the killing of George Floyd are ongoing across the Bay Area this week, with many cities and counties currently enacting curfews. Most protests have been peaceful, but in some parts of the Bay Area, there have been reports of individuals looting and vandalizing buildings.The news conference ended abruptly as members of the community shouted questions at the chief, who attempted to answer some but then left the dais.Vallejo's curfew is 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., and is in effect until further notice.Alyssa Pereira is an SFGate digital editor. Email: | Twitter:

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateVallejo Police shot and killed a 22-year-old man shortly after midnight Tuesday during the suspected looting of a Walgreens, Chief Shawny Williams told reporters and protesters in a public press conference Wednesday afternoon.The man, identified as Sean Monterrosa of San Francisco, was with a group of people police say targeted the Walgreens pharmacy.Officers arriving at the scene reported seeing 10-12 people getting into two vehicles. The first, a silver truck, drove off; the second, a black sedan hit an unmarked police SUV,...

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22-year-old killed: Hammer mistaken for gun in fatal police shooting, Vallejo police say

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