Steven Demarco Taylor

On 18 April 2020, 33-year-old Steven Demarco Taylor was shot in a Walmart by a San Leandro police officer, Jason Fletcher. Steven was experiencing a mental health crisis and needed help, not a bullet. Cops were called to a Walmart where Taylor reportedly had tried to leave the store with a bat and tent without paying. Fletcher went into the store alone, even though backup was arriving. Fletcher was told by a security guard that there was not in fact a theft and that Taylor was waiting for police by the shopping carts. But within 40 seconds of entering the store,

Fletcher approached Taylor, tased him twice. As Taylor tumbled, struggling to stay upright, Fletcher shot him in the chest. Another cop used a third Taser on Taylor after he was shot.

In September 2020, Alameda prosecutors charged Fletcher with voluntary manslaughter. A statement released by the DA at the time confirmed that “Mr. Taylor posed no threat of imminent deadly force or serious bodily injury to defendant Fletcher or anyone else in the store.” After 43 hearings (!), on 12 December 2025, Alameda County dropped all charges against killer cop Fletcher.

Taylor was the father of two children, including a son who was 11 at the time of Taylor’s death. Regarding her grandson’s killing, Addie Kitchen said, “It’s easier [for an officer] to shoot and say he was concerned for his safety, when it comes to a Black or Brown person. We see this playing out when it comes to officers shooting.” Addie, an OPA endorser, has been a tireless fighter for justice for Steven and other victims of racist cop terror. In 2021 the San Leandro city council passed a resolution making April 18 Steven Taylor Sanctity of Life Day. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held 26 January 2026 for the city’s new Steven Taylor Sanctity of Life Pavilion.

Jail this killer cop! Open the police archives on this case in which five years of the façade of justice played out to a bitter end. All statements made by Fletcher and the other cops regarding the shooting must be made public, along with all court records, reports, audio and video recordings, witness statements, communications between the officers, and Fletcher’s personnel records, including from any other police agencies he worked.