By Kayla Betulius
OAKLAND, CA — Three City of Alameda Police officers charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Mario Gonzalez made their first appearances at the Wiley E. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland last week.
The officers waived their right to a speedy arraignment, and the arraignment was delayed until Oct. 11, according to a statement by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
The three officers—James Fisher, Cameron Leahy, and Eric McKinley—face charges stemming from the April 19, 2021, death of Gonzalez while he was being detained on suspicion of shoplifting.
During the incident, said the DA’s Office, Gonzalez lost consciousness while being restrained by the officers and was later pronounced dead. The charges against the officers were filed after an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
If convicted, the three officers face up to four years in state prison.
Monday’s hearing drew significant attention and was attended by Gonzalez’s family and friends, including his mother, who has been vocal in seeking justice for his death. The family and their supporters have expressed frustration with the legal process’s length but remain committed to seeing the case through, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
“The charges are manslaughter — they should be murder,” said Amanda Majail-Blanco, an organizer for the nonprofit Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, also known as CURYJ.
In addition to the criminal charges, the City of Alameda has previously settled a civil lawsuit arising from Gonzalez’s death with a payment of $11,350,000 to his family. The settlement was reached to address the family’s claims of excessive force and wrongful death.
The Mercury News wrote, “The decision by District Attorney Pamela Price’s office to charge the men in April marked a stunning twist in a case that drew comparisons to the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. And it signaled a departure from the conclusions of Price’s predecessor, Nancy O’Malley, who initially cleared officers of any criminal wrongdoing by suggesting their actions were ‘objectively reasonable.’”
