Grand jury to consider if 2 former Torrance police officers should be charged in fatal 2018 shooting

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office is expected to convene a grand jury this week to determine if two former Torrance police officers should be charged in the shooting death of a suspected car thief in 2018, even though four independent investigations led former District Attorney Jackie Lacey to determine in 2019 that the officers acted lawfully.

Christopher Deandre Mitchell was shot and killed on Dec. 9, 2018 while sitting in the driver's seat of a stolen car. Body cameras worn by the two officers show Mitchell had a rifle between his legs and the officers say he reached for the gun, prompting them to open fire.

Investigators later determined the rifle was a pellet gun, but looked like a sawed-off shotgun.

"This case was cleared the following October by then District Attorney Jackie Lacey's personnel. They cleared the shooting as justified use of lethal force in self-defense," said defense attorney Tom Yu, who is representing one of the officers in the case. "I think it's political, an attempt to reopen something that's already been closed and is justified."

George Gascón's office wouldn't comment on the grand jury looking at the Torrance police shooting since grand juries are by law supposed to be secret. But a spokesperson for Gascón, Tiffany Blacknell, issued a written statement addressing the officer-involved shooting case as well has three others that Gascón had promised to reopen when he was running for office.

Blacknell says the four cases are being handled by special prosecutor Lawrence Middleton.

"Those cases will not be prosecuted by this office rather, the Special Prosecutor will take all actions necessary to investigate, and if warranted by the evidence, prosecute on behalf of the DA any potential criminal activity by law enforcement officers in those cases," she wrote.

Middleton was appointed by Gascon in 2021 and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to pay him up to $1.5 million a year for four years.

Attorney Yu is frustrated that taxpayer money is being used to go after his client for what he says amounts to just politics.

"You have a district attorney running for office and due to political reasons reopens a case that's otherwise already closed and justified," Yu said.