Daly City wants AG to investigate fatal shooting of Black man with BB gun

Daly City is asking for the state's help to investigate a fatal police shooting last month.

On Tuesday, the city announced that per the request of the City Council, City Attorney Rose Zimmerman had asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office to independently investigate the April 7 shooting, when police fatally shot San Francisco resident Roger Cornelius Allen following a struggle over what turned out to be a replica gun. 

The city also plans to hire an outside expert to lead another independent investigation to determine whether officers complied with police procedures.   

On July 1, Assembly Bill 1506 goes into effect and would allow Bonta's office to take over investigations from district attorney's offices regarding police shootings of unarmed civilians.

"We are aware of OIS incidents in which your office joined local law enforcement in such investigations," Zimmerman wrote to Bonta. "In anticipation of the new laws, which authorizes the California Department of Justice to take over investigations of officer-involved shootings, we also seek your office's direction to conduct an independent investigation of the OIS and guidance regarding the policies, procedures, or protocols that would dictate when a local law enforcement agency's use of deadly force warrants an independent investigation by the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice."   

On April 29, the city released the names of the four officers involved -- Lt. Michael Brennan and officers Rosa Brenes, Nicholas McCarthy and Cameron Newton -- but did not specify which officer shot Allen.

Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo said that the City Council is focused on building and maintaining trust.

"We are taking these important steps to provide the community with the most independent, impartial and transparent investigations possible," Manalo said in a statement.     

The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office isalso investigating the shooting.