SF supervisors call for outside review of DA's decision in Banko Brown's shooting death, mayor speaks
SF supervisors calling for outside review of DAs decision in Banko Browns shooting death
San Francisco leaders are weighing in on District Attorney Brooke Jenkins decision to not charge the security guard who shot and killed Banko Brown. Now San Franciscos Board of Supervisors is considering a resolution to have state and federal authorities look into the matter. Speaking on the matter, Mayor London Breed said she saw nothing wrong with Californias attorney general reviewing this case.
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco leaders are weighing in on District Attorney Brooke Jenkins' decision to not charge the security guard who shot and killed Banko Brown. Now San Francisco's Board of Supervisors is considering a resolution to have state and federal authorities look into the matter.
The decision to not charge the security guard who fired that deadly shot has sharply divided the city; while some are calling for more oversight, the mayor says she still supports her district attorney.
San Francisco is still processing Jenkins' decision to not charge Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony for the April 27 shooting death of Brown. Her decision has already led to protests, with more planned; and now San Francisco's leaders are stepping in. The supervisors' resolution would ask California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the US Department of Justice to look into the circumstances of the shooting.
"If the district attorney is going to look at that video and think that there should not be charges brought when someone brings out their gun in cold blood, then most certainly we need a higher level of government to step in," said District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton.
The supervisors say the district attorney's opinion that Anthony, the guard, would mount a successful self-defense argument in court is wrong given that a weapon was never found at the scene or on Brown.
"Most certainly, if there's not a weapon that was brandished, or a weapon that was seen by anyone, then unfortunately we know that this was an execution in cold blood," said Supervisor Walton.
San Francisco's Mayor London Breed says while the shooting was tragic, she supports her district attorney. "I think that the district attorney did everything she could to look at the evidence and make a decision based on what the evidence demonstrated, and I don't think there's anything wrong with welcoming our California Attorney General or anyone else to review the case," said Mayor Breed.
San Francisco's Police Chief Bill Scott applauded the district attorney's transparency through this process, but declined to say if he agreed with her conclusion. "I have never stood before and criticized a DA's decision to file or not file," said Chief Scott. "Even if I agreed or not agreed. But, I want to say, be very clear: that this district attorney is a fantastic partner."
State Sen. Scott Wiener, who has been vocal on this case and who had called for the release of the video evidence, said, "I've repeatedly watched the video and reviewed the other released evidence, and I honestly cannot see a justification for this shooting." He continued, "While shoplifting is a problem in San Francisco that needs to be addressed, shooting someone for shoplifting is truly horrific and must never be tolerated." Wiener said the lack of criminal responsibility in this case makes no sense to him.
"What makes this shooting particularly tragic is that it was preventable even before Banko Brown set foot in Walgreens. Nearly half of homeless youth are LGBTQ, and LGBTQ young people are also over-represented in the criminal justice system. Trans young people are even more disproportionately impacted. The horrific political attacks on trans young people around the country only make the problem worse," Wiener's statement read. He concluded that the shooting death of Brown brings more action to end youth homelessness and support for at-risk youth.
KTVU has have reached out to Attorney General Bonta's office, and received a reply saying in part, "as of right now, our office is not currently involved in the matter."
We also reached out to the DA's office which stands by her comments on Monday.
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Mayor Breed trusts D.A. to handle investigation into Banko Brown's killing
In her first comments about the shooting death of a Black trans man by a Walgreens security guard last month, San Francisco Mayor London Breed says she is confident both the district attorney and San Francisco Police Department will thoroughly investigate the case of Banko Brown.