A judge on Friday approved prosecutors' motion to dismiss the case against a San Leandro police officer who shot and killed a man in a Walmart in 2020.

Steven Taylor was suspected of shoplifting from the store when former police officer Jason Fletcher responded. His body cam video showed that within 40 seconds of arriving and confronting Taylor, who was holding an aluminum baseball bat, Fletcher tased Taylor twice and then fatally shot him.

Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson this week filed a motion to drop the manslaughter charges against Fletcher, saying she did not believe it could prove Fletcher committed a crime beyond a reasonable doubt.

Former District Attorney Nancy O'Malley initially filed the manslaughter charges against Fletcher. A judge previously denied a motion by Fletcher's attorneys to dismiss the case, citing prosecutorial misconduct.

"I will never play politics with justice. As tempting as it may be to seek any outcome that might ease the grief of a family, I will not put my finger on the scales of justice to engineer an unjust result," Jones Dickson said in a prepared statement. "It is an absolute truth that the loss of Steven Taylor's life is a tragedy. However, this office cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed."

The family of Steven Taylor and his supporters protested outside the hearing, calling the dismissal a slap in the face.

The judge in Friday's hearing said after reviewing the evidence, he agreed with the DA that prosecutors would not be able to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

The San Leandro Police Officers' Association said in a statement that it was confident the facts and the law would ultimately vindicate Fletcher.