CORONA, Calif. — A former LAPD officer has been charged with manslaughter by California’s attorney general after a grand jury refused to indict him two years ago.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced that his office has filed charges against Salvador Sanchez in the fatal shooting of a man at a Costco in Corona two years ago. Sanchez was an LAPD officer at the time of the fatal encounter, KTLA reported.
Sanchez has been arrested on charges of voluntary manslaughter and assault with a firearm, according to a press release from the state attorney general’s office. He faces three counts total. The former officer was taken into custody in Riverside County Monday morning.
The criminal filing by Bonta comes nearly two years after a Riverside County grand jury declined to bring charges against the former LAPD officer. According to court documents, he was off-duty when he fatally shot Kenneth French, 32, following a confrontation at the store on June 14, 2019.
Sanchez was shopping at the Costco with his family and holding his 18-month-old son when he was struck from behind by French, according to authorities. The two reportedly had no dialogue or communication prior to the battering.
Attorney David Winslow, who is representing Sanchez, told the Associated Press that his client was briefly knocked unconscious and his toddler fell to the ground.
Upon regaining consciousness, the officer grabbed his weapon and fired since be perceived he “was under attack” and “believed his life and his son’s life was in immediate danger,” the attorney said in the AP’s interview, which occurred several days after the shooting.
The former officer discharged 10 rounds, striking French three times in the back and once in the shoulder, according to then-Corona Police Department Chief George Johnstone.
French’s parents, Russell and Paola, were also struck by gunfire. Paola was hit once in the stomach area, while her husband was struck in the back, the chief said. Both were hospitalized with severe injuries.
Sanchez also complained of pain to the head and was transported by an ambulance to a local hospital.
Russell and Paola said their son had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. The couple said they tried to intervene on his behalf. They attempted to explain his psychological condition to Sanchez when he identified himself as a police officer.
“I begged and told him not to shoot,” Russell French said in August 2019, in what was the parents’ first public remarks after they were released from the hospital. “I said, ‘We have no guns, and my son is sick.’ He still shot.”
Bonta obviously disagreed with the grand jury’s assessment of the case and moved forward with a prosecution.
“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,” Bonta said in a statement.
An attorney representing French’s family described the attack on the off-duty officer more like an “open-handed push or slap” to Sanchez’s back.
“It certainly does not justify killing someone,” lawyer Dale Galipo, told the Associated Press in the aftermath of the fatal shooting.
The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners found, in June 2020, that Sanchez had violated LAPD policy. As a result, he was terminated in July 2020. The agency also said through a statement that it was cooperating with the attorney general’s investigation.
The criminal investigation into the shooting was conducted by the Corona Police Department and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. It lasted several months. When it was complete, the case was presented to grand jury. The body or jurors deliberated for about two weeks before deciding not to file charges on Sept. 25, 2019. They believed there was insufficient evidence to pursue a criminal prosecution, KTLA reported.
“This case has weighed heavily on us. It’s a difficult case. The community is feeling this, rightly so,” District Attorney Mike Hestrin said at a news conference following an announcement of the grand jury’s decision. “This was a horrible, tragic situation that occurred in one of our cities.”
Nevertheless, the politically active California AG’s office decided to file the felony charges against Sanchez.
“Where there’s reason to believe a crime has been committed, we will seek justice,“ Bonta said. “That’s exactly what these charges are about: pursuing justice after an independent and thorough review of the evidence and the law.”
