Officer charged in death of Black man in Bay Area taken into custody

A police officer facing manslaughter charges in the shooting death of a Black man inside a San Francisco Bay Area Walmart store was handcuffed and taken to jail following a court appearance Tuesday.

Judge Barbara Dickinson denied a defense attorney request to allow San Leandro police officer Jason Fletcher to immediately post $200,000 bail, saying it was not the court’s practice to allow that. She said Fletcher can post bail before his next hearing later this month. He had not been in custody until the court proceeding.

Fletcher is charged in the April 18 killing of Steven Taylor. He was the first officer to respond to a call about an alleged shoplifter who was holding a baseball bat inside the store. Taylor, 33, had grabbed the aluminum bat and a tent before trying to leave without paying, according to court documents.

Fletcher, a 20-year police veteran, did not wait for backup and instead approached Taylor and tried to grab the bat, while Fletcher also pulled out his gun, Alameda County prosecutors said. When Taylor pulled away, Fletcher then drew his Taser and fired twice. As Taylor was struggling to remain standing, Fletcher shot Taylor in the chest, killing him.

Fletcher, 49, appeared in court in a dark gray suit and black face mask with his attorney, Michael Rains, the East Bay Times reported.

Supporters of Taylor gathered outside the court Tuesday.

At a Monday night protest, words projected onto the front of the San Leandro Police Station headquarters read, “Convict Officer Fletcher” and “#Justice4StevenTaylor.”

The San Leandro Police Officers’ Assn. offered condolences to Taylor’s family in a statement released Monday and said the charges were politically motivated.

“While the District Attorney has mischaracterized the shooting as a ‘failure to attempt de-escalation options,’ we are confident that the evidence will establish that this incident was an unfortunate example of de-escalation techniques simply proving to be ineffective,” the association statement read.

Fletcher is the first law enforcement officer in the Bay Area to face charges in the death of a civilian in more than a decade. The last officer charged was BART officer Johannes Mehserle, who shot and killed Oscar Grant on New Year’s Day 2009.