Solano DA accuses attorney general of flip-flopping on Monterrosa investigation
(Still frame courtesy Vallejo Police Department; Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
The district attorney for Solano County has accused the newly-appointed California attorney general of playing politics after he announced an investigation into last year’s officer-involved shooting involving an unarmed man in Vallejo.
On Thursday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the California Department of Justice would conduct an independent investigation into the shooting and its aftermath after Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams purportedly refused to do so.
“Seeing the failure of the District Attorney to fulfill this important responsibility, my office will review the case to ensure a fair, thorough, and transparent process is completed,” Bonta said in a widely-reported statement that accompanied a press release issued to reporters on Thursday.
In the press release, the California attorney general’s office said Abrams received the outcome of an investigation by the Vallejo Police Department following an officer-involved shooting last year.
The shooting claimed the life of Sean Monterrosa, a 22-year-old man who spotted at the scene of a Walgreen’s store that was in the process of being looted during a period of civil unrest last June.
An officer responding to the scene believed Monterrosa was armed with a gun and opened fire on the man, striking him at least once. The object in question was later revealed to be a hammer.
The fatal shooting drew widespread condemnation from members of the community at a time when tensions between the public and law enforcement were at a high following the arrest of George Floyd, an unarmed Minneapolis resident whose arresting officer was later convicted on murder and manslaughter charges in connection with his death.
The Vallejo Police Department and an associated law enforcement agency conducted its own investigation into the circumstances of the shooting and its aftermath, including a probe over the destruction of a windshield that was considered evidence in the case.
According to the state attorney general’s office, the Solano County district attorney received those investigatory files, but recused herself from the probe and offered it to her counterparts at the California Department of Justice instead.
But on Thursday, Abrams said things didn’t happen that way.
According to the district attorney, Abrams and Bonta had a telephone call earlier in the morning in which the county prosecutor offered to work with the state attorney general’s office on the investigation.
Abrams said the offer was extended because of Assembly Bill 1506, which requires state officials to investigate officer-involved shootings like the one that killed Monterrosa last year. The measure is set to take effect in July.
“Mr. Bonta stated that his department would not be reviewing the case due to funding not being available until July 1,” Abrams wrote in her statement. “Within an hour of my telephone conference this morning…he notified me that his department would be reviewing the case, completely reversing himself, and now suddenly blaming Solano County for failing to do its job by not reviewing the matter.”
Abrams challenged Bonta’s apparent virtue signaling by pointing to his inexperience as a judicial officer. Bonta was appointed to the position of attorney general after Xavier Becerra, the previous judicial officer in that position, was tapped by President Joe Biden to serve as the country’s secretary of health and human services in March.
“Having been on the job for less than one month, it is of significant concern that Attorney General Bonta would criticize our office for wanting to ensure the people of Solano County have complete confidence in the integrity of the investigation,” Abrams said. “In every case, we seek a full, fair, independent and unbiased investigation for all parties, and that a fair, unbiased and objective decision is made.”
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