MARTINEZ, Calif. – Community organizers announced that a rally will be held outside the A.F. Bray Courts Building in Martinez at 8:15 a.m. Aug. 7 to protest former Contra Costa County Deputy Andrew Hall’s petition for early parole release. Hall was quietly released from prison in March 2025 after serving less than half of his sentence, despite being the first officer in the county convicted in connection with a law enforcement-related death.
Hall shot and killed Laudemer Arboleda in 2018 and later fatally shot Tyrell Wilson in 2021. Charges were not brought until after Wilson’s death, even though Hall’s prior actions had already raised public concern. According to the press release, if Sheriff-Coroner David Livingston had not determined Hall’s use of force to be in line with department policy after an internal investigation, “Hall would not have had the opportunity to kill another community member.”
The upcoming court hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. in Department 10 of the courthouse. Family members of both victims, including Jennifer Leong, Arboleda’s sister, as well as Bella Quinto Collins and Cassandra Quinto-Collins, sister and mother of Angelo Quinto, killed in 2020 by Antioch police, will be joined by Gigi Crowder, CEO of NAMI Contra Costa, and other supporters. All are expected to be present at the protest and available for questions afterward.
The rally is also intended to highlight what organizers call the dangers of the sheriff-coroner consolidation in Contra Costa County. According to the press release, Livingston publicly supported Hall, calling him a “warrior” and referring to his victims as “dangerous criminals.”
“Andrew Hall’s release was very disappointing and re-traumatizing,” Leong said in the press release. “It took a second life before he was even prosecuted. We are still grieving… These are the lives we’re talking about.”
In the same release, Quinto Collins said: “Hall’s early release is insulting and tragic… He may never be an officer again, but others like him will get the message that they are above the law and beyond accountability. This is yet another glaring example of the dangers of sheriff-coroner consolidation.”
According to a KQED article published earlier this year, Livingston argued that Hall “never should have been in prison in the first place.” He claimed Hall’s actions were rooted in self-defense and therefore justified under the law.
Livingston reinforced his public support for Hall in a statement to KQED: “It’s time we stop feeling sympathy for dangerous criminals and start supporting law-abiding Contra Costa residents and the warriors that defend them.”
While Livingston defends Hall’s actions, many community members and activists demand independent oversight of officer-involved deaths and structural reform to prevent future tragedies, according to the press release.
Crowder echoed the call for reform, stating: “We must separate the coroner from the sheriff’s office to remove bias and promote safety for our most vulnerable citizens who have been criminalized for living with a medical condition.”
Critics argue that this dual role creates a conflict of interest in cases involving law enforcement, where the same office is responsible for both investigating and defending officers’ actions.
As the press release states, activists and supporters will begin gathering 15 minutes before the hearing, and media questions will be welcomed afterward.
