Christopher Samayoa has been charged with voluntary manslaughter by the San Francisco District Attorney's Office for the shooting death of Keita O'Neil.
In a historic moment, the San Francisco District Attorney's office has charged a former rookie police officer who fatally shot an unarmed carjacking suspect on his fourth day on the job in 2017, according to reports. Christopher Samayoa is charged with voluntary manslaughter for the shooting death of Keita O'Neil, the prosecutor's office announced Monday.
This marks the first time an on-duty law enforcement officer has been charged with homicide.
On Dec. 1, 2017, San Francisco Police Department Officers Eric Talusan and Chris Samayoa followed who they thought was a carjacking suspect through the Bayview District. The officers followed the van until they reached a dead-end street, where O'Neil got out of the car and began running on foot.
Samayoa was seated in the passenger seat and fired his gun as O'Neil passed his patrol car.
Samayoa was fired from his position following the incident. Samayoa's firing has generated outrage from the police officer union, which said previously he was fired for doing what he was trained to do.
"I am happy to hear the news and hoping it brings some justice to our family," O'Neil's aunt said in a statement provided by the District Attorney's Office.
Samayoa is also charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault by an executive officer, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and negligent discharge of a firearm.
He is expected to surrender on a warrant for his arrest later this week, the prosecutor's office said. He will be granted $1,000 bail and is not requested to be held on pretrial detention by the District Attorney's Office.
Chesa Boudin, the San Francisco district attorney, announced the charges Monday. Boudin, a Democrat, was elected last year. He told Inside Edition Digital that his office recently completed its review of the evidence and was confident in moving forward with the case.
"We are not done with our other investigations into officer-involved shootings by law enforcement in San Francisco.
"The only way we can make [law enforcement's] job easier is to rebuild public trust and restore the dignity of that profession," Boudin said. "We can't treat them with impunity."
Michael Hinckley, Samayoa's lawyer, did not immediately respond to emails Tuesday morning.
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