Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
CA Attorney General Charges Ex-LAPD Officer With Voluntary Manslaughter in Fatal Costco Shooting

In a highly unusual move, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Monday that his office has filed voluntary manslaughter charges against a former LAPD officer who fatally shot a man who had intellectual disabilities inside a Corona Costco in June 2019.
Salvador Sanchez, 42, was arrested in Riverside Monday morning, according to a statement issued by Bonta’s office. Sanchez also faces two charges of assault with a semiautomatic weapon for seriously wounding both of French’s parents. All three charges are felonies.
Riverside District Attorney Mike Hestrin had referred the case to a grand jury, which declined to file charges against Sanchez. Hestrin declined to pursue the case further.
"It would be disingenuous of me to take a case to the grand jury, present it, and then say, 'Well, thank you very much, I am not going to abide by what your decision is,'" he said after the grand jury's decision.
Where there’s reason to believe a crime has been committed, we will seek justice.
In filing the charges, the attorney general said he was acting under Article V of the California Constitution, which gives him the power to file charges in a local case when he concludes that the law “is not being adequately enforced.”
“Where there’s reason to believe a crime has been committed, we will seek justice,” Bonta said in the statement. “That’s exactly what these charges are about: pursuing justice after an independent and thorough review of the evidence and the law.”
“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,” Bonta said. “No matter who you are, nobody is above the law.”
Read The Complaint
In June 2020, the L.A. Police Commission found the shooting out of policy. Sanchez left the force a month later.
Sanchez was off duty when he killed Kenneth French, 32, and wounded French’s parents, 58-year-old Russell and 59-year-old Paola, while they were shopping at Costco. French struck Sanchez in the head while he was holding his 18-month-old son as they were standing in a food-tasting line.
The off-duty officer and his son fell to the ground. Sanchez fired almost immediately — less than 3.8 seconds after being struck by French, according to investigators. It remains unclear whether French intentionally or accidentally hit Sanchez. His intellectual disability left him unable to communicate verbally and made him awkward sometimes in public, according to his parents.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

-
Administrators say the bargaining units should be dismissed, or that they have no standing. One campus is going after the federal agency in charge of union activity.
-
The landslide is not connected to the greater Portuguese Bend landslide, city officials said.
-
Nom. Nom. Nom. The event destroyed the internet when it was first announced — and sold out in minutes.
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems.
-
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028.
-
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach.