After a nearly three-year investigation, the California Department of Justice has decided not to bring criminal charges against two Los Angeles police officers who fatally shot a man in 2021.
The incident occurred in July 2021 when authorities were dispatched to the Pico-Union area with reports of a man bleeding from his neck and carrying a knife.
When authorities arrived, they said 53-year-old Samuel Soto was holding a knife. The initial probe into the shooting found that officers had responded to the immediate threat and felt that they were in danger when facing Soto.
According to the Los Angeles Times , one of the responding officers was David Voci. During the confrontation, body-camera footage shows Voci shooting Soto three times, despite other officers saying Soto was not armed anymore. In the video, Soto appeared to be holding a black object in his hand when he stepped toward Voci, which was later determined to be a cell phone.
After the shooting, Voci is heard asking his fellow officers if Soto was still armed, to which he was told no.