Russell and Paola French said they pleaded with Sanchez not to shoot, telling the officer that their son, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was largely nonverbal, had psychiatric trouble. But the victim was not armed, according to police. Tapes from body-worn cameras of Corona police officers who went to the scene captured statements from Sanchez indicating that he initially believed Kenneth French was holding a weapon. "At the time of the incident, he believed he was protecting himself and his baby from being killed," Winslow said. No one has disputed that, for reasons still unknown, Kenneth French shoved the off-duty lawman to the ground.Īccording to Winslow, Sanchez was dazed, and when he saw his son next to him screaming, he "had no choice but to use deadly force."
The victims were shopping when they approached a food sample table with sausages, where the defendant was also standing, holding his then-18-month- old son. In the summer of 2020, the Los Angeles Police Commission determined the Costco shooting reflected unjustifiable use of force by Sanchez, and he was booted from the police force a month later. He told reporters at the conclusion of the grand jury proceedings that "we had to put our passions and emotions aside and marry the facts with the law." He denied Sanchez had been favored with "special treatment" because he was a law enforcement officer. The Riverside County District Attorney's Office in September 2019 took the matter to the 19-member county grand jury, and the jury declined to indict Sanchez.Īfter the DOJ announced its case against Sanchez, District Attorney Mike Hestrin reiterated that "all known and available evidence" had been presented to jurors.
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