California attorney general won’t examine killing by police

VALLEJO » California’s attorney general declined Wednesday to independently investigate the fatal shooting of a man police say they initially thought was carrying a handgun in his waistband but actually had a hammer.

Sean Monterrosa, 22, of San Francisco was suspected of stealing from a San Francisco Bay Area pharmacy amid national protests when he was killed June 2 by an officer who fired five times through a police car windshield, hitting Monterrosa once.

Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams earlier said Monterrosa dropped to his knees and put his hands above his waist, revealing what the officer took to be the butt of a handgun. It turned out to be a 15-inch hammer in the pocket of his sweatshirt.

Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams asked Attorney General Xavier Becerra to investigate, but his office said she didn’t show that her office was incapable of handling the investigation on its own.

“Absent a conflict of interest, an abuse of discretion or other exceptional circumstances, the Department

of Justice does not assume responsibility for local investigations or prosecutions typically handled by local authorities,” Becerra’s office said, expressing confidence in Abrams to handle the matter.