Grand jury indicts San Francisco officer in December 2019 shooting

SAN FRANCISCO >> A San Francisco police officer who shot and seriously injured a 25-year-old man last year has been indicted by a grand jury — the second police officer to be charged in a use- of-force case in less than a month, authorities announced Monday.

District Attorney Boudin said that a grand jury on Friday indicted Police Officer Christopher Flores in the Dec. 7, 2019, shooting of Jamaica Hampton.

The grand jury also indicted Hampton, who was captured in surveillance video attacking Flores and Officer Sterling Hayes with a glass bottle moments before he was shot in the leg. Hampton survived but his leg had to be amputated.

Boudin said the court set bail but his office asked for only nominal bail and is not requesting pretrial detention against either defendant. He encouraged Flores and Hampton to voluntarily surrender.

Boudin did not provide any information on the charges and said he would release more information when an arraignment is scheduled.

At the time of the shooting, Flores was a rookie officer still completing his field training. He and Hayes, his training officer, were searching for a burglary suspect when they approached Hampton in the Mission District.

Surveillance and body camera footage shows Hampton attacking the officers while they are still in their patrol car and then running away. After a brief foot chase, Hayes fires at Hampton multiple times. Hampton drops to the ground and is seen crawling and trying to get up when Flores, who was bleeding from the face, fires a single shot. Hayes can be heard yelling “stop, stop, stop!”

It wasn’t immediately known if Hampton and Flores have retained attorneys who can speak on their behalf.

Tony Montoya, president of the Police Officers Association union, did not immediately return an email seeking information about Flores’ legal representation and who could comment on his behalf.

Flores is the second officer in two weeks to face criminal charges.

On Nov. 23, Boudin charged Christopher Samayoa, a former rookie San Francisco police officer, with voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, assault by an executive officer, assault with a semi automatic firearm and negligent discharge of a firearm in the killing of 42-year-old Keita O’Neil.

Samayoa was on his fourth day on the job when he fatally shot O’Neil, a carjacking suspect, in December 2017. O’Neil, who died at a hospital, was suspected of assaulting a California Lottery employee and stealing a van that belonged to the agency.