Steven Taylor, 33

San Leandro, California
April 18, 2020

Agencies: San Leandro Police Department California

Cause of death: Shooting

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Last updated: over 3 years ago

Overview

Steven Taylor, 33, was fatally shot by police at a San Leandro Walmart on April 18, 2020.

Police were called to the store on Hesperian Boulevard around 3 p.m. Saturday after reports of a man wielding a bat. On the way to the call, they were told a robbery was occurring, but that information turned out to be incorrect.

Video of the incident posted to social media appears to show Taylor threatening two officers with a bat as they approach, while several nearby customers back away and watch.

Someone calls out to “back up, back up” and at least one stun gun appears to be fired. Taylor then seems to move toward the officer, who fires his gun.

Police said Taylor was shot once after he had already been struck twice with a Taser. The Alameda County coroner’s bureau on Monday performed an autopsy on Taylor, officials said, and the preliminary cause of death was found to be a single gunshot wound to the chest. No other gunshot wounds were found on his head or back.

Video shows Taylor stagger back, drop the bat and walk a few feet away, leaving a trail of blood. Another bang is heard on the video before he falls to the ground and the officers stand over him. Then another bang rings out.

Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods called the shooting “disturbing and unacceptable,” adding that “this incident needs to be thoroughly investigated by an external and independent agency. The video speaks volumes.”

Legal Action

During the week of July 13, 2020, the California Attorney General's office declined a request by San Leandro officials to launch an independent investigation into the fatal shooting of Steven Taylor. State Attorney General Xavier Beccerra's office notified the city that due to a lack of funding and staffing, along with the absence of a clear conflict of interest among those currently investigating the April 18 shooting, his office would not pursue the matter.

On September 2, 2020, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said her office filed the charge of voluntary manslaughter against San Leandro Police Officer Jason Fletcher in the killing of Steven Taylor.

Officer Fletcher posted his $200,000 bond Tuesday afternoon September 16, 2020, shortly after Alameda County Superior Court Judge Barbara Dickinson ordered him held as a “danger to society,” according to the Mercury News.