OFF THE HOOK

No Charges for SF Cop Who Gunned Down Unarmed Keita O’Neil

The rookie officer involved, Christopher Samayoa, was charged with manslaughter in 2020, but had the charge dropped.

State prosecutors say Christopher Samayoa, the rookie San Francisco cop who fatally shot an unarmed Keita O’Neil during a 2017 car jacking, won’t be prosecuted for the incident—ending a swirling, six-year debate about potential charges. California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the decision Thursday, nearly three years after Chesa Boudin, the progressive San Francisco District Attorney who was ousted last summer, charged Samayoa with manslaughter—a historic decision at the time as no San Francisco cop had faced similar charges from a use-of-force incident. Brooke Jenkins, who replaced Boudin, said her predecessor’s decision to charge Samayoa was “political” and flawed, so she dropped the charge in January and gave the case to the state. O’Neil’s aunt, April Green, was critical of Bonta’s decision on Thursday, saying prosecutors “don’t got balls” and that they need to stand up to cops “abusing their position.”