In a video obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle, Officer Andrew Hall of Danville, California, is shown fatally shooting a homeless black man who was allegedly “mentally impaired.” Many are left wondering why the officer was still on the force in the first place, as Hall is currently awaiting charges for his involvement in a separate killing from 2018.
A witness recorded the video on March 11, before the shooting took place. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Hall originally arrived at the scene in response to a 911 call that stated someone was “throwing rocks from the overpass.”
The officer ran into Tyrell Wilson, 32, a homeless man living near a parking lot and considered him a suspect. Allegedly wielding a knife, police say that the overzealous man asked Wilson to drop his weapon and only shot at him after Wilson “had advanced at Hall.”
The only issue is that the video doesn’t clearly show him advancing toward the officer. Wilson drops to the ground, and Hall still has his gun trained on him as the witnesses recording the video say what everyone is thinking, “What the f***?”
Wilson was rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries six days later.
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John Burriss, a civil rights attorney representing Wilson’s family, believes he was shot in the face after viewing the body. According to Mercury News, Burriss describes Wilson, “[He] had three strikes against him. He was African-American. He was homeless. And he was [in] emotional distress and mental impairment.”
Now, the cop is faced with a possible charge for his involvement in a separate police killing from two-and-a-half years ago. Laudemer Arboleda was also fatally shot by Hall. After being informed by another officer not to “shoot him,” Hall took matters into his own hands and fired 10 shots at Arbodela’s vehicle, killing him.
So far, Hall has not been charged in Wilson’s killing.
