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California Police Officer Charged with Shooting Dead Black Man in Walmart

HeadlineSep 03, 2020

In news from California, a police officer in San Leandro has been charged with felony manslaughter after shooting dead a 33-year-old Black man named Steven Taylor inside a Walmart on April 18. Within a span of 40 seconds, officer Jason Fletcher entered the Walmart, shot Taylor with a Taser and then shot him in the chest with his gun. In a statement, the Alameda County district attorney stated, “Mr. Taylor posed no threat of imminent deadly force or serious bodily injury to defendant Fletcher or anyone else in the store.” Police were first called to the Walmart because Taylor was trying to leave the store with a tent and a bat. His family said he was homeless at the time.

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