Tahmon Wilson, 20, was shot and killed while fleeing in his car outside a dispensary by Martinez police who opened fire on it. His brother was also injured.
The family now claims that they were attacked without cause as they sped away from police officers who had been sent to the scene of a business security camera alarm. Keep reading to know more about it in detail.
Know everything about the incident:
In the early morning hours of August 18, a gunshot took place in front of Velvet Cannabis on Sunrise Drive close to Pacheco Boulevard.
According to police and the state attorney general’s office, four Martinez police officers opened fire and killed an unarmed man early on Friday morning after responding to a report of a break-in at a marijuana store.
Officers responded to an alarm that was set off at the Velvet dispensary at 4808 Sunrise Drive at just after 3:30 a.m., and that is when the shooting took place. According to Martinez Police Chief Andrew White, in a news release, police were informed that there were several persons and two vehicles at the establishment.
According to White’s news release,
“one of the vehicles, described as a white SUV, fled the scene. Officers broadcast that shots were fired and there was an assault on an officer. The second vehicle attempted to flee and then crashed into a fire hydrant. The two occupants of the vehicle were transported to the hospital.”
White later clarified that four cops fired bullets, one person was killed while being transported to the hospital, although the first press release did not say who fired the shots.
In compliance with Assembly Bill 1506, a legislation requiring the state to examine all police shootings that result in the death of an unarmed civilian, the police chief stated that the California Department of Justice was informed of the killing and is currently heading the investigation.
According to cheif Andrew, the four police officers who started the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.
White reported that an officer was also hospitalized for what is thought to be a minor injury; however, the chief declined to specify how the officer was hurt.
The area around the incident has been closed off for the course of the investigation, and as of late Friday afternoon, the Velvet dispensary was also shuttered.
Tahmon Wilson’s Case history:
Tahmon Wilson has been into legal trouble before.
Wilson was one of several people detained by San Francisco police last November during searches aimed at a group associated with shootings, armed robberies, and auto burglaries. Guns and watches were also recovered, according to the police department.
The Contra Costa County Superior Court dismissed the lawsuit against him, nonetheless. In San Francisco, Wilson did have a case related to weapons.
Martinez Police Chief Andrew White stated in a video statement that he will work with the AG’s office to facilitate the release of body camera material.
White said,
“The use of deadly force by a police officer is understandably concerning. I appreciate that you have questions regarding what exactly occurred. And so do I.”
Attorney’s argument:
Adante Pointer, a civil rights lawyer, argued that Tahmon Wilson, 20, was shot and killed by four police officers while his older brother was hurt.
“Unfortunately they bore the brunt of what appears to be the officers’ rash, unlawful decision to try to stop a car by using deadly force.”
The police “sent a hail of bullets into the car from the rear striking two brothers, hitting one twice in the back, almost taking his life,” Pointer claimed.
According to Martinez police, Wilson struck an officer while operating a blue Infiniti, then continued to drive at additional cops, prompting four of them to fire their weapons.
Pointer said Wilson passed away from a gunshot wound to the back of his skull. Tommy Wilson Jr., his brother, was shot in the back but survived.
Pointer said of Tahmon Wilson,
“Gone far too soon in such a tragic way, unnecessarily taken not only from his family and friends, but also the community.”
Rob Bonta, the state’s attorney general, is currently looking into the incident because the driver was not armed.
The car ought to be viewed as a weapon, according to Michael Rains, an attorney for the Martinez police union.
However Pointer argued, “A paper clip can be considered a weapon depending upon how it’s used. The point is, the car was not being used as a weapon when those officers shot the car as it was driving away from them down the street.”
Why was the 20YO Tahmon Wilson shot & killed by Martinez police?
Tahmon Wilson, 20, was killed in the shooting last Friday, which is still under investigation by the state Department of Justice because the men were not armed. Tommy Wilson Jr., 22, was also injured. Neither one has been charged with a crime.
In an interview, their 34-year-old sister Jaleace Smith claimed that she spoke to Tommy Wilson Jr. from the hospital while he was recovering from a gunshot wound to his back.
Smith said,
“People need to know what happened,”
“People need to know that my brothers did not try to rob a cannabis place, and (then) got shot by police, because that’s what the story sounds like.”
According to Smith’s surviving brother, he slept out in the back seat of the two-door Infiniti his younger brother was operating and when he awoke, he had no idea why they had come to be close to the cannabis shop.
Smith claimed that when police arrived at the Infiniti, the brothers never got out. She claimed, quoting her brother’s testimony, that Tahmon Wilson began driving away from the Infiniti as soon as the SUV accelerated.
Then, according to Smith, police opened fire repeatedly through the Infiniti’s back window.
Smith said,
“He said once they started shooting up the car, he told my brother, ‘Go! They’re shooting at us!’ .And then the car spun out.”
She claimed that while he felt his own wound in his back from the back seat, Tommy Wilson discovered a hole in his older brother’s neck. Tommy Wilson was then forced out of the vehicle by the officers, who also threw him to the ground, chipping one of his teeth in the process, according to Smith.
There is no proof that the shop was broken into, and attempts to get in touch with Velvet’s owners were futile. The huge store, according to its website, has locations in Martinez, Napa, and Los Angeles.
Tommy Wilson arrived at the hospital tied to his bed and was questioned by a detective, according to Smith. He will not face any charges, he was reported the next day.
Tahmon Wilson was described by Smith as “truly a beautiful boy.” She claims her brother pampered his three nephews and one niece, and she has four kids. She recalled the days she spent instructing Tahmon Wilson in driving near Candlestick Point, recalling how the family had grown up in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood.
She said,
“They were some young boys,”
“It’s just unreal to me that the police killed him for no reason.”
California Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506):
The California Department of Justice is mandated by California Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506) to look into every instance of an officer-involved shooting that results in the death of an unarmed citizen. Historically, California’s 58 district attorneys and local law enforcement organizations have handled these serious incidents.
However, AB 1506, which was signed into law on September 30, 2020, and which takes effect on July 1, 2021, gives the California Department of Justice an essential tool to directly support the development and maintenance of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve by establishing a requirement for an independent, statewide prosecutor to investigate and review officer-involved shootings of unarmed civilians throughout California going forward.
All instances covered by AB 1506, as codified in California Government Code section 12525.3, will be investigated and examined by the California Department of Justice for possible criminal responsibility.
To keep the public’s faith after an officer-involved shooting, honest and transparent communication is essential. The California Department of Justice will, as part of that and in accordance with AB 1506, distribute pertinent information and documents about covered incidents as soon as practical and appropriate, and will ultimately make public its decisions about the criminal prosecution of such incidents.
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