Charges dismissed against former Torrance officers in fatal shooting of Christopher DeAndre Mitchell

Manslaughter charges dismissed against former Torrance officers

Before the ruling was announced, Sherlyn Haynes, mother of the victim, 23-year-old Christopher DeAndre Mitchell, stood in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom crowded with supporters and said the former Torrance officers should be held accountable for the death of her son.

TORRANCE, Calif. - The legal saga surrounding the 2018 police shooting of Christopher DeAndre Mitchell concluded Thursday as a judge formally tossed voluntary manslaughter charges against the two former officers involved.

What we know:

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta granted the District Attorney’s request to dismiss the case against ex-Officers Matthew Concannon and Anthony Chavez. 

The incident began on December 9, 2018, when officers boxed in a stolen Honda Civic in a supermarket parking lot. 

During the 12-second encounter, officers saw what they believed was a firearm—later identified as an air rifle—and fired three shots when they believed Mitchell moved his hands toward the weapon. 

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: DA files motion to dismiss case against Torrance officers charged with killing man

Current District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that after "hundreds of hours" of review, his office concluded they could not prove the officers lacked a "reasonable belief that they were in imminent peril."

What we don't know:

The exact movements made by Mitchell in the three seconds preceding the first shot remain a point of contention and technical uncertainty. 

The District Attorney’s own report acknowledges that "Mitchell is not visible on the body-worn footage" during that critical window because Concannon’s grip on his service weapon blocked the camera's view. 

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Torrance officers face manslaughter charges in fatal 2018 shooting of Christopher Mitchell

This visual gap remains the primary reason prosecutors felt they could not meet the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard required for a conviction.

Timeline:

• December 9, 2018: Christopher DeAndre Mitchell is shot and killed by Torrance police.
• 2019–2020: Then-DA Jackie Lacey’s office declines to file charges, ruling the use of force was justified.
• 2023: Former DA George Gascón reopens the case, leading to a grand jury indictment for voluntary manslaughter.
• November 2025: Current DA Nathan Hochman’s office files a motion to dismiss the case based on a lack of provable evidence.
• April 17, 2026: Judge Sam Ohta officially dismisses the charges following a delayed appeal process.

What they're saying:

Judge Ohta emphasized the impartiality of the court.

 "Courts do not make decisions based on the feelings of the public," he said. "This is not a civil rights case. This is a voluntary manslaughter case."

The victim’s mother, Sherlyn Haynes, expressed profound grief and anger in the courtroom.

"I'm hurt and angry. My son had rights, too. He deserved to live. ... Real change has to happen." 

She argued that the officers acted as "judge, jury and executioner."

Hochman explained the legal threshold, saying, "Where we don't have that evidence, we're not going to just kick that can to a jury or kick that can to a judge, we're going to do our job... and a motion to dismiss in that case is our saying that."

What's next:

The dismissal effectively ends the criminal proceedings against Concannon and Chavez, who previously faced up to 11 years in prison. 

While the criminal case is closed, the fallout continues to fuel local activism. Black Lives Matter organizers and supporters of the Mitchell family have signaled that they will continue to push for broader systemic changes in how law enforcement use-of-force cases are handled in Los Angeles County.