Families Demand Justice In California Police Killings Of Young Latino Men
The families of two young Latino men, both fatally shot just days apart by law enforcement in the San Francisco Bay Area in June, are demanding justice, including legal consequences for the officers involved.
On Wednesday, the sisters of Sean Monterrosa — a 22-year-old fatally shot by Vallejo police on June 2 — and Erik Salgado — a 23-year-old fatally shot by California Highway Patrol officers in Oakland on June 6 — rallied in Sacramento with other family members of police brutality victims.
On the steps of the state Capitol, activists placed photos of dozens of people killed by law enforcement in California in recent years.
Both families are calling for California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to launch an independent investigation into the shootings, according to organizers. And they want the officers involved to be named, fired and charged.
“We are sick and tired of murderers being on the force and still getting paid, yet no convictions,” Michelle Monterrosa said in a video after the rally, provided to HuffPost. She wants police to release footage of the incident and the names of all the officers involved. (While officials have not released the name of the officer who shot Monterrosa, local media reports identified him as Jarrett Tonn.)
“We want justice. We want convictions, too,” said Amanda Majail-Blanco, Salgado’s sister. She also demanded video of the incident and the names of the CHP officers involved, as well as to know whether they’ve been placed on leave or fired. (CHP told HuffPost that all officers involved were still employed, and that “per policy, they were placed on administrative time off after the incident and have now returned to their normal duties.”)
“These are two people that were killed four days apart,” Majail-Blanco said of Salgado and Monterrosa, noting they’re both San Francisco Bay Area residents in their 20s. “They robbed them of their future.”
