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A San Francisco officer won't face charges after he shot an unarmed Black man who later died from his injuries.
On Monday (July 3), District Attorney Brooke Jenkins moved to drop manslaughter charges against Officer Kenneth Cha in the shooting of Sean Moore, per CBS News.
“We are moving to dismiss the case against Officer Kenneth Cha as we do not believe that we can sustain our burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Cha did not act in reasonable self-defense,” Jenkins said in a statement.
San Francisco police officers encountered Moore in 2017 while responding to a call about a noise complaint at his home. Body camera footage shows Moore initially refusing to comply with officers' order to step outside of his home. Moore's family said he was experiencing a mental health crisis caused by bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
According to police, Moore shouted at officers to get off his stairs as they continued to demand he exit the home. After he complied, Moore was pepper sprayed and hit with a baton. Moore then punched one of the officers and booted Cha down a flight of stairs. The officer opened fire against Moore, shooting him twice in the leg and stomach.
An appeals court later determined the officers didn't have probable cause to arrest Moore. While serving time in 2020 for an unrelated incident, Moore died from complications resulting from his injuries.
Former District Attorney Chesa Boudin initially brought charges against Cha in connection to Moore's shooting. The city also awarded Moore's family $3.25 million after they filed a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force.
“We rely on officers to follow their training and to de-escalate situations; instead, in just eight minutes, Officer Cha elevated a nonviolent encounter to one that took Sean Moore’s life. Sean Moore was unarmed and at his own home when Officer Cha shot him twice,” Boudin previously said.
Jenkins, however, said her office “can not ethically prosecute this case in good faith.”
"As prosecutors, we have a sacred duty to try cases in good faith, to not abuse our power, and ensure that the cases we bring forward are fair in order to maintain trust in the criminal justice system,” she said.
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