Alameda County DA To Reopen 2 Hayward OIS Cases, And 6 Others

HAYWARD, CA — The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday its intention to reopen the investigation into the two Hayward cases involving fatal police shootings, as well as six other cases where suspects died in police custody. Two cases date back more than a decade to 2007 and 2008.

The cases will be reviewed by a newly-formed Public Accountability Unit, which will review the conduct of law enforcement and public officials.

Price said in a news release that although three of the six officer-involved shootings were deemed justified, she feels her office did not have sufficient time to review the evidence.

“These reports were released at the 11th hour, just weeks before I took office. As the top prosecutor, I want to give each case a thorough review to ensure justice has not been forgotten,” she said. “I’ve made sure that my Office has attempted to [reach] out to each of the families of the deceased. The healing process cannot begin until we do our due diligence.”

The DA’s office said that it has asked local police chiefs and Alameda County Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez to return evidence for the eight cases “with the intention of reopening the cases for further review to determine whether charges should be filed or not.”

Price linked the new review to the fatal Tyre Nichols beating in a statement. “We have seen many thoughts and prayers being bandied about the police murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee. The people of Tennessee want accountability – and so do the people of Alameda County,” she said. “I promised accountability. This unit and its work are the start of the reckoning Alameda County has asked for holding people accountable for their misconduct.”

One Hayward case involved the Nov. 15, 2018 death of Agustin Gonsalez, following "a report of a man with a knife acting erratically." Two officers fired multiple shots, killing him. The shooting prompted the council to establish a new policy to refer all such incidents to the state attorney general for review and to the county district attorney for investigation. The City also paid a $3.3 million settlement to the children of Gonsalez.

On March 16, 2021, Caleb Smith was shot to death by two Hayward Police Officers after he rammed their police cars with his vehicle. Smith and others in his vehicle were armed robbery suspects.

Other officer-involved shootings now up for review include:

• Joshua Gloria, Fremont Police
• Mack Jody Woodfox, Oakland Police
• Andrew Moppin-Buckskin, Oakland Police
• Cody Chavez, Pleasanton Police

Two cases in which suspects died in police custody will also be reviewed:

• Mario Gonzalez, Alameda Police
• Vinetta Martin, Santa Rita Jail