Ex-LAPD officer charged in off-duty Costco shooting of mentally-ill man

Officer was holding his young child when knocked to the ground from behind

Russel and Paola French with their son Kenneth (Facebook)

A former Los Angeles police officer has been arrested more than two years after the off-duty shooting of a mentally ill man at a Costco in California.

The arrest is a reversal of prosecutors’ original decision not to charge Salvador Sanchez for the 2019 shooting that killed Kenneth French and seriously wounded his parents, Russell and Paola French.

The state’s attorney general Rob Bonta announced on Monday that Mr Sanchez was charged with voluntary manslaughter and assault with a semiautomatic firearm following a review of the incident.

The French family had previously sued the City of Los Angeles seeking damages for wrongful death and personal injury, plus what they said were violations of state civil rights statutes.

The encounter occurred when Mr Sanchez, an officer of seven years, was holding his young son at a Costo in Corona, about 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, on 14 June, 2019.

He was knocked over from behind by Mr French, whose family has said was non-verbal and was off medication for mental illness at the time.

Mr Sanchez opened fire and fatally wounded Mr French, 32, and critically injured his parents. He told investigators at the time that he thought Mr French had a gun and that the lives of himself and his son were in danger.

Mr French was unarmed and the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners ruled in 2020 that the shooting violated LAPD policy.

Following the review by the attorney general’s office, Mr Bonta said there was reason to believe a crime had been committed.

“Ultimately, any loss of life is a tragedy and being licensed to carry a gun doesn’t mean you’re not accountable for how you use it,” Mr Bonita said in a statement.

“No matter who you are, nobody is above the law.”