Three Northern California law enforcement officers have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Mario Gonzalez, who died in the city of Alameda on April 19, 2021. The officers, James Fisher, Cameron Leahy, and Eric McKinley, pinned Gonzalez facedown during a confrontation, and he subsequently became unconscious. The county coroner’s autopsy report initially attributed his death to the “toxic effects of methamphetamine” with other contributing factors, but a second autopsy found that he died of “restraint asphyxiation.” The charges were announced by Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price just before the statute of limitations were to expire.
The officers were previously cleared of any wrongdoing by then-District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, who found that their actions were reasonable. However, the second autopsy prompted the new district attorney to file involuntary manslaughter charges against them. The defense attorneys for the officers accused the charges of being politically motivated, pointing out that an effort to recall Price had gained enough signatures to force a recall election this year. The attorneys argued that the officers’ actions were reasonable, necessary, and lawful and claimed that the death was due to drug toxicity. They expressed confidence that a jury would exonerate the officers, as previous independent investigations had done.
The attorney for Fisher, Michael Rains, denounced the charges as a “desperate effort to shore up her chances of remaining in office.” Alameda settled two lawsuits related to Gonzalez’s death, agreeing to pay $11 million to his young son and $350,000 to his mother. The district attorney Price said she was “walled off” from the case review, which was conducted by her office’s Public Accountability Unit. Defense attorney Alison Berry Wilkinson, who represented the three officers in previous investigations and now represents Leahy, criticized the timing of the charges, suggesting they were politically motivated and aimed at influencing the recall election.
These recent charges against the three officers marked a reversal of the decision by the previous district attorney who had cleared them of any wrongdoing. The announcement of involuntary manslaughter charges came just before the statute of limitations was set to expire. The officers, who were all Alameda police officers at the time of the incident, confronted Gonzalez after receiving 911 calls reporting that he appeared disoriented or drunk. The encounter led to a physical altercation where Gonzalez was pinned to the ground and subsequently became unconscious, resulting in his death. The charges have been met with accusations of political motivation by defense attorneys, who argue that the officers acted lawfully and responsibly during the incident.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the families of Mario Gonzalez have already received settlements from the city of Alameda in two separate lawsuits related to his death. The settlements included a substantial payment to Gonzalez’s son and his mother, signaling some form of accountability for the tragic outcome of the incident. While the defense attorneys maintain their stance that the officers’ actions were justifiable, the district attorney’s decision to pursue charges has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Gonzalez’s death. The ongoing legal battle highlights the complexities of holding law enforcement officers accountable for their actions and the challenges of navigating the intersection of law, politics, and public accountability in cases of police misconduct.
