VALLEJO, Calif. (AP) — A police officer who in 2020 fired a rifle five times through the windshield of an unmarked police vehicle, fatally shooting a San Francisco Bay Area man, was fired last week for violating several police department policies, authorities said.
The Vallejo police officer who fatally shot Sean Monterrosa in June 2020 was terminated on Oct. 3 after an independent third-party investigation determined he violated several department policies, including using deadly force that was not objectively reasonable, failing to de-escalate the situation and failing to activate his body-worn camera in a timely manner, the Vallejo Police Department said in a statement.
The department said it was not naming the officer because of an order issued by a Solano County judge. Monterrosa's family and Melissa Nold, a civil rights attorney who has been advising the family, identified the terminated officer as Jarrett Tonn.
The Vallejo Police Officers Association did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Police said they initially thought Monterrosa, 22, was carrying a handgun in his waistband. But he actually had a hammer in the pocket of a sweatshirt he was wearing.
Officers in two unmarked police cars were responding to reports of suspects stealing from a pharmacy amid national protests over the killing of George Floyd when the shooting occurred.
Monterrosa was suspected of stealing from a pharmacy and was killed after being shot in the head once after Tonn fired his rifle through the windshield of an unmarked pickup truck carrying several officers.
Video released by the Vallejo Police Department a month after the shooting shows the officer firing from the backseat of the moving vehicle.
Michelle and Ashley Monterrosa, Sean Monterrosa’s sisters, said in a statement posted on social media that they were grateful “for this administrative step.” But they pointed out the investigation into their brother’s killing also unearthed evidence of an attempted cover-up.
“After two years we continue to demand that the California DOJ under the leadership of Rob Bonta take immediate action to prosecute and hold the responsible Vallejo officers accountable for their crimes,” they said.
The windshield, considered a key piece of evidence, was destroyed, leading city officials to seek a criminal investigation into how that happened.
Last year, Bonta said would review the investigation. His office did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
