Family Demands Justice for Black Man Shot Dead by Police at San Leandro Walmart
SAN LEANDRO (KPIX) -- Steven Taylor was shot and killed by police two months ago at a San Leandro Walmart and his family says his death was murder and they're demanding that charges be filed against the officers involved.
Steven Taylor's grandmother and mother say Taylor didn't deserve to die and they are outraged by the lack of action taken in the case.
"You talked about Mr. Floyd, you talked about Ms. Taylor. This happened in your community!" said Addie Kitchen, Steven Taylor's grandmother.
Kitchen is demanding that the officers who were responsible for the shooting death of her grandson be arrested.
"They committed a crime, they murdered my grandson! If you murdered someone, you would be in jail," Kitchen said.
The shooting happened on April 18 at the Walmart on Hesperian Boulevard in San Leandro. Police received a call about a man wielding a bat who may have been suffering a mental episode.
When the first officer arrived, he ordered Taylor to put down the bat. When Taylor didn't comply, he was tased twice then fatally shot.
Kitchen says, "We are fighting for all the Stevens, all the homeless all the people that have mental issues. That should not be the reason to be murdered by the police department."
The family of Steven Taylor not only wants the officers arrested. They are also demanding police reform. Family members believe if someone trained to deal with mentally-disturbed people had responded, Taylor would still be alive today. His mother, Sharon Taylor said, "The way our police should be reformed is to help people with mental illnesses; that when you call an officer on a Black person, it's not going to end well."
When the body cam video was released, San Leandro police chief Jeff Tudor spoke with KPIX saying it was important to show the community a clear explanation of what happened.
"We were transparent in the video. We tried to break down the sequence of events so the people can see the facts of this case," Chief Tudor said.
San Leandro police and the Alameda County district attorney's office are investigating the shooting but the city council has also asked the California attorney general to look into the case.
