San Francisco’s DA to drop charges against former cop
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said she plans to drop manslaughter charges against a former police officer who became the first ever to be charged for an on-duty killing in the city because the charges were politically motivated.
Jenkins said in a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Rob Bonta that she intends to drop the charges against San Francisco police officer Christopher Samayoa at a March 1 hearing.
Samayoa was on his fourth day on the job when in 2017 he fatally shot Keita O’Neil, a carjacking suspect, during a police chase.
Chesa Boudin, Jenkins’ predecessor, charged Samayoa with manslaughter and other charges after he took office in 2020, calling his decision “historic.” Boudin was part of a politically progressive wave of prosecutors committed to seeking restorative justice over mass incarceration. He was recalled from his post last year amid frustration and anxiety over the pandemic and viral footage of Asian seniors being assaulted in San Francisco.
In the letter obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Jenkins said that an investigation into the Boudin’s handling of the case revealed internal conflicts. She said the charges were filed just before the statute of limitations for manslaughter was to expire and the warrant was signed by an investigator who had been assigned to the case days earlier — while the longtime lead investigator was on vacation.
“The irregularities and facts that have come to light surrounding the case against officer Samayoa suggest that the charges were not filed in good faith, appear to have been politically-motivated, and have made it impossible for us to proceed forward with this prosecution,” Jenkins said in a statement Friday.
Boudin didn’t immediately return a message Friday seeking comment. He told the San Francisco Chronicle he filed the case on the facts, which he said also led the Police Department to fire Samayoa and the city to pay O’Neil’s family a $2.5 million settlement.
“It’s clear Jenkins has been coordinating with the officer’s defense team to avoid a public hearing on the disturbing facts of the case,” he said. “She is scapegoating me to try to divert attention from what this decision ultimately reveals about her: Jenkins will not hold everyone equally accountable under the law, she is deeply politically motivated, and she does not care about victims of police violence.”