Salvador Sanchez was an off-duty Los Angeles police officer when he shot and killed a mentally ill man inside a Southern California Costco in 2019, only to be cleared of wrongdoing three months later by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
But earlier today, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced he will be charging Sanchez with felony charges of voluntary manslaughter and assault with a semiautomatic firearm for shooting to death Kenneth French and wounding his parents, Russell and Paola French.
According to the press release from the attorney general’s office:
California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the arrest and filing of felony charges for alleged voluntary manslaughter and assault with a semiautomatic firearm against former Los Angeles Police Department officer Salvador Sanchez, as a result of an off-duty shooting that occurred during a Costco shopping trip in Corona, California in 2019. The charges announced today come after the conclusion of proceedings at the local level and a subsequent review of the incident by the Attorney General’s Office as authorized under Article V of the California Constitution. Sanchez was arrested this morning in Riverside County.
“Where there’s reason to believe a crime has been committed, we will seek justice,” said Attorney General Bonta. “That’s exactly what these charges are about: pursuing justice after an independent and thorough review of the evidence and the law. Ultimately, any loss of life is a tragedy and being licensed to carry a gun doesn’t mean you’re not accountable for how you use it. No matter who you are, nobody is above the law.”
According to court documents, on June 14, 2019, Sanchez, while off-duty, shot and killed 32-year-old Kenneth French inside a Costco. Sanchez also shot and wounded Kenneth’s parents, 58-year-old Russell and 59-year-old Paola. Following a review of the incident by the Attorney General’s Office, Sanchez now faces a total of three felony charges for his actions that resulted in the death of one individual and the serious injury of two others.
Read the complaint here. We’ll be updating this story as more details emerge.
Below is police bodycam footage from the moments following the shooting when Sanchez was lying on the ground, claiming he had been knocked unconscious.
(Editor’s note: PINAC News is still experiencing tech issues but part of the plan is to install forums which hopefully should be done this week.)
