SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — KTVU Fox 2 reported that a hearing scheduled Friday morning at Alameda County Superior Court in the case against Jason Fletcher, the officer who shot Steven Taylor in April 2020, has been postponed.
According to KTVU, Taylor’s family and civil rights leaders rallied on the courthouse steps, demanding a speedy trial.
As KTVU reported, now-retired San Leandro police officer Jason Fletcher shot and killed Steven Taylor at a Walmart after Taylor allegedly tried to take “a bat and a tent from the store without paying for them.” KTVU noted that, according to prosecutors, it took then-Officer Fletcher less than 40 seconds to shoot Taylor.
Taylor’s family said Taylor was “suffering from a mental health crisis” at the time of the alleged theft that led to the shooting. Prosecutors noted that Taylor entered the Walmart around 3 p.m. and tried to exit the store without paying for the two items.
Walmart security then stopped him and asked him to return the items. One of the guards called 911 and told Taylor he had reported him to the police. Two customers, as KTVU reported, tried to help Taylor; one offered to pay for the items. Taylor declined, indicating he would wait for the police.
As then-Officer Fletcher entered the Walmart, he called a second officer for help. Fletcher allegedly attempted to take the bat from Taylor, while Taylor “held on to the bat and stepped away from Fletcher.” According to KTVU, Fletcher tased Taylor. After being tased, Taylor tried to “stay up and was pointing at the bat,” according to prosecutors. Fletcher shot and killed Taylor before the second officer arrived.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office charged Fletcher with one count of voluntary manslaughter. Fletcher pleaded not guilty in 2021. According to KTVU, Alameda Superior Court “took the case away” from then-Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price, ruling that she was “biased,” and handed the case to the state Attorney General’s Office. With Price recalled and District Attorney Ursula Jones-Dixon now in charge, the Alameda court will decide whether to return the case to the Alameda DA’s office.
On Friday, the defense representing Fletcher filed and was granted a motion to “hold off,” according to KTVU, citing information that then-DA Price had not disclosed, which could benefit Fletcher’s case.
According to a report by NBC Bay Area, the hearing on that motion has been set for Sept. 12. There is no date set for when the trial could begin or whether the Alameda District Attorney’s Office or the state Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the case.
