Ex-Officers Acquitted in 2018 Shooting

0:00It's April 17th. This is California News Today, local news powered by AI. A Los Angeles judge just dismissed voluntary manslaughter charges against two former Torrance police officers in the 2018 shooting death of. 23-year-old Christopher DeAndre Mitchell. It happened during a 12-second encounter after officers boxed in a stolen Honda Civic in a supermarket lot. They spotted what looked like a gun, an air rifle inside, and fired three shots, believing Mitchell reached for it. The case dragged on for years. Back in 2019 and 2020, the District Attorney's Office declined charges, calling the force justified. Then in 2023, a new DA reopened it, leading to a grand jury indictment. But by November 2025, the current DA filed to drop it, and on April 17th, 2026, Judge Sam Ota approved, saying, Evidence couldn't prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Folks in the courtroom were fired up, especially Mitchell's mom, Sherlyn Haines, who stood strong

1:02amid supporters and vented her pain and fury over. Losing her son, she stressed he had rights and deserve to live. The judge made clear decisions come from facts, not public pressure, while the DA explained they spent hundreds of hours reviewing, but couldn't beat. The split-second defense standard, key issue was a video gap on body cams. Mitchell wasn't visible in the three seconds before shots, because one officer's grip blocked the view. That left too much doubt for prosecutors to win. With criminal charges gone, the ex-offices dodged up to 11 years behind bars, but the fight ain't over. Activists and the Mitchell family keep pushing for real changes in how police use of force cases get handled around L.A. County.