After three months of silence, Southern California prosecutors announced they will not be filing charges against Los Angeles police officer Salvador Sanchez, who was off-duty when he killed a mentally disabled man inside a Costco over the summer.
Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin announced Wednesday that a grand jury reviewed the evidence and decided Tuesday that no criminal activity took place the night of June 14 when Sanchez killed Kenneth French and wounded his two parents, Richard and Paola.
Hestrin also showed a surveillance video during Wednesday’s press conference that did not show much because it was recorded so far away.
The video, which does not include audio, shows two figures struggling with each other. Ken French is the tall man with the striped shirt. It appears as if he is getting shoved by the cop but police said French attacked first.
They both end up on the floor which is when the cop opened fire, shooting ten times. Four rounds struck Ken French, three in the back and one in the shoulder. Paola French was shot once in the abdomen and her husband was shot in the back.
Hestrin said that Sanchez was under the impression he had just been shot by an active shooter which is why he opened fire. Hestrin said he has the option to file charges despite the grand jury findings but will not do so.
A judge had previously banned the release of the video for a year but now the judge has allowed its release.
The video can be seen after the 15:30 mark in the video below or here if it does not show up.
