Christopher Samayoa

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Service Record

San Francisco California Police Department

Rank	Officer
Dates of Service	Hired in 2017.^[1]
Last Known Status	Terminated^[2]

Incident Reports

2017 Death of Keita O'Neil

Samayoa's body-worn camera video

On December 1, 2017, Samayoa and his partner chased O'Neil, who was wanted for assaulting a person and carjacking. O'Neil exited the vehicle and ran in the officers' direction. Samayoa drew his handgun while in the moving vehicle, opened his door, and fired through the window, striking O'Neil.^[1]^[2]

O'Neil died at the hospital.^[2]

The incident was captured on Samayoa's body-worn camera and surveillance cameras.^[2]^[3]

Response Timeline

In 2017, O'Neil's mother filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging excessive force.^[4]

In March 2018, Samayoa was fired.^[5]

On November 23, 2020, the newly-elected District Attorney charged Samayoa with voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, assault by an executive officer, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and negligent discharge of a firearm.^[2]^[1]

On December 7, 2021, the city agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle the family's lawsuit.^[4]

On February 8, 2023, a new District Attorney announced plans to drop the charges, as they, "were not filed in good faith [and] appear to have been politically-motivated".^[2]^[3]

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