Family of Sean Monterrosa, killed by Vallejo police officer, renew call for justice
VALLEJO - The family of Sean Monterrosa, a San Francisco man fatally shot during a night of protests and looting, is demanding the Vallejo Police Department terminate the officer, rather than reinstate him after a sudden reversal.
The attorney for Officer Jarrett Tonn says the investigation showed Monterrosa posed as an "imminent threat" the night he was shot.
Monterrosa's loved ones pushed back with some fighting words, saying "expect the chair to fold" because they're not giving up.
"This city has allowed for unarmed civilians Black and Brown men to be killed inhumanely," said Michelle Monterrosa.
On June 2, 2020, during the George Floyd protests, Tonn fired five rounds from the back seat of a police vehicle with a service rifle, fatally striking the 22-year-old looting suspect, with one shot landing in the back of Monterrosa's head.
"It is not just about Sean. it's about everyone getting a sense of justice," said Michelle Monterrosa.
Vallejo Police fired Tonn after the city's use-of-force experts determined the officer violated department policies.
But VPD recently reinstated Tonn based on a second determination by a neutral hearing officer who stated the third-party investigators incorrectly based their findings on hindsight analysis, which is prohibited by California Law.
Monterrosa's sisters are rejecting the sudden turnabout.
"This city wants me and Ashley to fold and give up. Expect the chair to fold. Never us," said Michelle Monterrosa.
"The decision confirmed that Mr. Monterossa posed an imminent and deadly threat and that Detective Tonn's use of force was objectively reasonable under the totality of the circumstances," said Tonn's attorney Joshua Olander in a statement.
Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt promises surveillance of the newly reinstated officer.
"I'm hoping other people in this community will join me to pay people hourly to identify the communities he's policing and to police the community from him as well as to keep tabs on Mr. Tonn himself. He will get no peace in this city," said Merritt.
Merritt says $10,000 dollars is already in an escrow account to pay private security agencies including licensed weapon carriers to track Detective Tonn's assignments.
A civil lawsuit is being pursued by the Monterrosa family, and they are organizing a rally on September 12th at the next Vallejo City Council meeting.