Vallejo police shooting town hall triggers accountability questions

Vallejo police host town hall to discuss shooting of teenage suspect

Police say because the suspect is a minor, there is a court order that prevents them from sharing further information with the public. KTVUs Joey Horta reports.

VALLEJO, Calif. - Vallejo police held a town hall meeting Wednesday night over a November 20 shooting of a teen armed robbery suspect by an officer, but they didn’t release any new information.

The 17-year-old suspect received minor injuries when they were shot by Corporal Matthew Komoda, according to police.

"Following a brief foot chase, an officer involved shooting and arrest of 2 of the suspects occurred," Deputy Chief Joe Gomez told a small crowd at the town hall. "A loaded handgun was recovered at the scene of the arrest."

KTVU was there when one of the two suspects was led into a patrol car in handcuffs.

"Because one of the suspects is a juvenile and there is a court order prohibiting public disclosure of surveillance evidence, there is little information that the Vallejo Police Department can provide," Gomez said.

The lack of new details triggered members of the small crowd to bring up police accountability.

"In light of the history of the Vallejo Police Department, with all the Sean Monterosa, Willie McCoy, the tragic deaths of those two gentlemen," concerned citizen Jose Carrizales said, "Use those as examples to be better."

Both Monterrosa and McCoy were shot and killed by Vallejo PD in separate incidents.

The department’s Critical Incident Review Board monitors the use of force to make sure officers follow training and policy.

"We’re bringing civilian staff in to look at that from a different lens. It’s very helpful," Interim Chief Jason Ta said.

The board is required to have 6 members, including one community member.

Right now, only one of them is not a police officer, which some say is not balanced.

"We are in a place in a very critical time where, in the city of Vallejo, we need to build public trust with our police department," concerned citizen Dr. Tonia Lediju said.

"There’s always room for improvement, so if this is something that will improve our program, this is definitely something we will look into," Sgt. Rashad Hollis said.

"I think I walked away here with more questions than any answer that I could ever get," Carrizales said.

According to police, the November 20 shooting is the second time they’ve opened fire this year, with the previous shooting in July.

KTVU asked how many times Corporal Komoda had shot someone, but a police spokesperson said they did not have that information available Wednesday night.