Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has moved to dismiss charges against two Torrance police officers involved in the 2018 fatal shooting of Christopher De’Andre Mitchell, who was found sitting in a suspected stolen car with a modified airsoft rifle between his legs.
Officers Matthew Concannon, 40, and Anthony Chavez, 36, were indicted in March 2023 on voluntary manslaughter charges for killing the 23-year-old. Hochman now says prosecutors cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
A hearing on the motion to dismiss was scheduled for Thursday but was postponed while the officers await a possible intervention from the California Supreme Court.
“We cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt with admissible evidence that the officers acted unreasonably,” Hochman said, noting that the weapon appeared to be a sawed-off shotgun or rifle and that Mitchell’s hands seemed to move toward it moments before the officers opened fire.
The shooting occurred on Dec. 9, 2018, after the officers approached Mitchell in a suspected stolen vehicle. According to prosecutors, Mitchell initially complied with commands to place his hands on the steering wheel but then lowered them toward the object between his knees. Concannon fired once; Chavez fired twice. Mitchell died at the scene.
Hochman said the earlier prosecution under former District Attorney George Gascón relied on an “officer-created jeopardy” theory that a judge later ruled inadmissible. He added that the statute of limitations for potential involuntary manslaughter charges expired in 2021.
Calling the decision difficult, Hochman emphasized that multiple prosecutors had reviewed the case. He said his office cannot move forward “in good faith” because it cannot meet the legal burden required for criminal charges.
Hochman also warned against using cases like this to score political points, saying prosecutors will pursue charges against officers only when the law and evidence genuinely support them.
