Police union responds to DA clearing officer

The Vallejo Police Officers’ Association issued a statement on Sunday suggesting Ronell Foster might still be alive if he had followed the commands from a Vallejo police officer during an attempted traffic stop in February 2018.

The association was responding to decision by Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams on Friday, clearing Officer Ryan McMahon for using deadly force when he shot Foster seven times as the two struggled behind a building in downtown Vallejo.

“It’s unfortunate that officers

are put into these types of life/death situations which could easily be avoided if those that come into contact with the police follow their commands,” VPOA wrote on its official Facebook page. “Officers do NOT like to be forced to make these split second decisions.”

McMahon had attempted to pull over Foster, who was seen weaving in and out of traffic while riding a bicycle on the night of Feb. 13, 2018.

Foster fled and eventually the men fought behind a building with the man allegedly grabbing the officer’s

flashlight and threatening him with it. At that point, fearing for his life, McMahon told investigators that he decided to shoot Foster.

Foster was pronounced dead at the scene.

The association also “liked” a comment under the initial post, stating that Foster “…got what he deserved…”

“Stop when the officer asks. Answer the questions. Take you citation or ride to jail, and then fight in court. That simple. You try and fight a cop or grab at their equipment belt…what do you think will happen,” Joe Burrell posted under the post. “A Mag Lite taken from the cop is just as lethal as if the guy was grabbing for the cops gun. Hate

to say the suspect got what he deserved…but he decided to fight in the street instead of court.”

The union is led by Vallejo police Lt. Mike Nichelini, who became president at the start of the year following the resignation of longtime Association President Sgt. Mathew Mustard.

Abrams said McMahon “was justified in using deadly force,” as her office officially closed its investigation on Friday.

“It is and was objectively reasonable for McMahon to defend himself and open fire on Foster,” Chief Deputy Paul Sequeira wrote in his investigative report into the incident. “Foster posed an immediate and extreme threat to the personal safety

of the police officer seeking his apprehension.”

McMahon told investigators that he attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Foster and “educate” the man about driving recklessly and not having a light on his bicycle. Instead, Foster fled on the bike, eventually ditching it and running as McMahon pursued on foot.

The officer said Foster reached for his waistband several times while fleeing, and said he thought Foster might have a weapon. McMahon discharged his Taser, with one of the two probes hitting Foster in the back, he told investigators.

Foster continued to run away until falling along a walkway behind a building on Carolina Street. That allowed McMahon to catch up and push Foster down as the man tried to get up.

Released a year after the fatal shooting, McMahon’s body camera video, activated after the shooting, showed the 30 seconds prior to activation without audio.

McMahon seems to strike Foster several times with a flashlight, the video shows. He gets up, and is fatally shot by McMahon. The video shows that before firing, McMahon backed up and the flashlight appeared to be held by Foster. However, due to the movement of the camera it’s not definitive.