Ex-cop charged in fatal shooting of man with disability at California Costco
Charges have been filed against a former Los Angeles police officer in the fatal shooting of a man with a disability inside a Costco in 2019, according to California officials.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Monday in a news release that voluntary manslaughter and assault with a semiautomatic firearm charges were filed against Salvador Sanchez for the shooting of Kenneth French, 32, inside a Costco in Corona.
“Where there’s reason to believe a crime has been committed, we will seek justice,” Bonta said, according to the release. “That’s exactly what these charges are about: pursuing justice after an independent and thorough review of the evidence and the law. Ultimately, any loss of life is a tragedy and being licensed to carry a gun doesn’t mean you’re not accountable for how you use it. No matter who you are, nobody is above the law.”
Sanchez is accused of shooting French while off-duty on June 14, 2019, and wounding French’s parents, Russell, 58, and Paola, 59, according to the release, citing court documents.
Sanchez is charged with three felony counts and was arrested Monday morning in Riverside County, the release stated.
Sanchez’s attorney, David Winslow, said Kenneth French knocked Sanchez to the ground during the incident, NBC Los Angeles reported.
“Sal Sanchez was holding his baby when he was violently attacked and knocked to the ground along with his baby,” Winslow told the news station. “He was also knocked unconscious momentarily. At the time of the incident he believed he was protecting himself and his baby from being killed. The Riverside Grand Jury heard all the evidence in this matter and concluded there was no basis for any criminal issues.”
“The arrest of Sal Sanchez is a product of the politically motivated program by the California Attorney General to prosecute Police Officers. Sal was not acting as a police officer when he was attacked. He was off duty acting as a father in self-defense and protecting his child,” Winslow continued.
McClatchy News didn’t immediately receive a response to a request for comment from Winslow.
Rick Shureih, French’s cousin, said French “had the mental capacity of a teenager,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
“He was a gentle giant,” Shureih said. “He’s never been violent in the past. He’s always been very cooperative and kept to himself.”
According to police documents that were made public, Sanchez was “at least 20 feet away from French and his parents when he opened fire” and “less than four seconds elapsed between French striking the officer and the eruption of gunfire,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
As of July 2020, Sanchez is no longer employed by the Los Angeles Police Department after a commission determined the shooting was “out of policy,” the Mercury News reported.
Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin decided to present the case findings in 2019 to a grand jury, which declined to indict Sanchez, according to NBC Los Angeles.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Ex-cop charged in fatal shooting of man with disability at California Costco."