After the Alameda district legal professional’s workplace introduced no prison costs for the three California Freeway Patrol officers who fatally shot Erik Salgado, a 23-year-old Latino man, in 2020, his household asks: “The place is the justice?”
A report launched Monday by the workplace of District Legal professional Nancy O’Malley stated “questions stay as to the usage of lethal power on this case,” however that proof collected in an investigation “doesn't contradict” officers’ said justifications for taking pictures at Salgado in Oakland in June 2020.
California Freeway Patrol pursued Salgado, who was driving a stolen car, in keeping with the report. Three cop vehicles, two of which had been unmarked, cornered Salgado. His automobile reversed after which superior, hitting a CHP car. Three officers who had exited their autos — Richard Henderson, Eric Hulbert and Donald Saputa — shot at Salgado, hitting him 16 instances and killing him.
Salgado was unarmed. The cops additionally shot and injured Salgado’s girlfriend, Brianna Colombo, who was within the passenger seat.
Through the investigation, the cops claimed that they thought Salgado had run over one other officer. No cops had been really hit by Salgado’s automobile.
John Burris, the legal professional for the Salgado household, stated Salgado was “not making an attempt to run over the officers, he was attempting to flee.”
“It took two years to say that it was okay to shoot 16 rifle bullets into my son for a stolen automobile,” Salgado’s mom, Felina Ramirez, stated in a information launch from the Justice 4 Erik Salgado Organizing Group. “Erik was simply 23 years previous. His daughter Liliana has to develop up with out a father. The place is the justice?”
Within the wake of the DA deciding to not criminally cost the officers who killed Salgado, the household has referred to as on California Legal professional Common Rob Bonta to conduct an investigation. Bonta’s workplace informed HuffPost it was “conscious” of the DA’s resolution however had “no updates to share on our finish right now.”
“My household has skilled first-hand how the system meant to supervise regulation enforcement colludes with killer cops,” Salgado’s sister Amanda Majail-Blanco stated in a launch.
The household’s legal professional referred to as the DA’s lack of costs “bittersweet” — “bitter as a result of there isn't any prison prosecution, however candy as a result of we will now go ahead with the civil litigation.”
Salgado was one in every of a number of younger Latino males killed by law enforcement officials within the San Francisco Bay Space within the final couple of years.
Police in Vallejo fatally shot Sean Monterrosa, 22, simply days earlier than Salgado’s killing.
Virtually precisely one 12 months in the past, Alameda police knelt on 26-year-old Mario Gonzalez’s again, killing him. The officers concerned are on paid administrative depart and haven't been charged.
And one of many officers who shot Salgado, Henderson, additionally shot and killed 19-year-old Pedro Villanueva in Southern California in 2016, The Mercury Information reported.
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