DA clears Pleasanton police officers in 2022 fatal shooting of domestic violence suspect
Criminal charges aren't warranted against two Pleasanton police officers in the 2022 shooting death of a domestic violence suspect, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced Thursday.
The Feb. 17, 2022 shooting death of San Jose resident Cody Chavez by officers in Pleasanton was one of several police shootings and in-custody deaths reopened by Price after she took over as district attorney in 2023. Her predecessor Nancy O'Malley had previously determined the Pleasanton officers, Brian Jewell and Mario Guillermo, weren't criminally liable.
Price said Thursday that her office's public accountability unit reviewed the case "with fresh eyes" and also concluded the officers couldn't be held criminally liable for shooting 33-year-old Chavez after he emerged carrying a knife from an apartment building on Willow Road.
Price's announcement, however, came with a rebuke of the Pleasanton department's "unnecessary escalation of force" to arrest Chavez.
The department deployed at least 19 police officers from Pleasanton and Livermore police departments, with militarized equipment, "knowing the suspect posed no imminent threat to the victim, was alone, unarmed, likely under the influence of alcohol and experiencing mental health issues," Price said.
"These facts point to an unnecessary escalation of force and multiple violations of Pleasanton Police Department policies for mental-health crisis interventions and de-escalation at minimum, and procedures for determining the appropriate level of force necessary to respond to this type of situation."
On Thursday evening, Pleasanton police responded to a request for comment about the announcement with a brief statement.
"The Pleasanton Police Department remains committed to ensuring the safety of our citizens and community and supports the earlier findings and the secondary review conducted by the Public Accountability Unit. Both reviews found no justification for criminal charges," according to the department's statement. "Unfortunately, we are unable to comment further at this time because of pending civil litigation."
