‘We’re Tired’

By Stephen Oduntan

Contributing Writer

SOUTH LOS ANGELES — When criminal charges against two former Torrance police officers in the 2018 killing of Christopher DeAndre Mitchell were dismissed April 16, the case reached its legal conclusion. By evening, hundreds had gathered to confront a different question: what happens when a case ends without a trial?

Inside the Center for Black Power on 43rd Place — a space purchased through grassroots donations and now home to Black Lives Matter–Los Angeles — the room was packed. Photographs of people killed in encounters with police lined the walls beside handwritten signs reading “We need guidance, not guns” and “Kids, not criminals.”

Attendees stood along the edges or leaned forward in their seats as speakers reflected on years of legal delays and a case that never reached a jury.

“We’re tired,” said Pastor James Thomas, a Black Lives Matter Los Angeles organizer, speaking steadily to the crowd.

The dismissal, after years of legal battles and a rare attempt to prosecute an on-duty police shooting, has shifted the focus from the courtroom to the community. For many gathered, the question was no longer what the legal system will do — but what justice looks like outside of it.

Mitchell was fatally shot by Torrance police in December 2018 while sitting inside a car that had been reported stolen. Officers said they believed he was armed, though it was later determined he was holding an altered air rifle.

The case became a political football with then-District Attorney Jackie Lacey declining to file any charges against the two officers, finding they were justified in using deadly force against Mitchell.

District Attorney George Gascón, who defeated Lacey in the 2020 election, re-opened the investigation. That review led to the two officers being indicted for voluntary manslaughter, with Gascón saying “there were many questions for us concerning the justification of the shooting.”

But under new Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who defeated Gascón in 2024, prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges, arguing the case could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

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

In explaining his ruling to grant the dismissal, Ohta said, “courts do not make decisions based on the feelings of the public.”

“This is not a civil rights case,” Ohta said from the bench. “This is a voluntary manslaughter case.”

In a public statement, Hochman said the office could not proceed “in good faith,” pointing to the officers’ belief that Mitchell posed an imminent threat and to legal and evidentiary challenges that would make securing a conviction unlikely.

The decision, officials said, was shaped in part by prior prosecutorial decisions and a judge’s ruling that key arguments — including a theory known as “officer-created jeopardy” — would not be admissible at trial.

But attorney Peter Carr, who has been involved in the case, disputed that conclusion.

“The evidence suggests that it was voluntary manslaughter,” Carr said, pointing to video footage and other evidence he believes warranted a trial.

Carr argued the case should have been decided by a jury rather than dismissed.

“A jury should be able to evaluate the evidence and make a determination as to whether or not a crime was committed,” he said.

Inside the room in South Los Angeles April 16, that frustration was clear.

“We cannot rely on the system to bring us justice,” said Melina Abdullah, a Pan-African studies professor and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles. “Power resides with the people.”

At times, the tone of the meeting reflected a deeper frustration — not only with the outcome of the case, but with what attendees described as a broader failure to hold law enforcement accountable.

Among those who spoke was Quintus Moore, whose son, Grechario Mack, was killed by Los Angeles police in 2018.

“My son was having an emotional moment,” Moore said. “The first officer de-escalated everything. Then others came and escalated — and my son was killed.”

The District Attorney’s office later concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove the officers did not act in self-defense.

Others pointed to the need for a shift in strategy beyond the courts.

Several candidates for local office were invited to address the crowd, each given a brief opportunity to respond to the dismissal and outline their positions on policing and public safety. Organizers noted that not all invited officials attended, drawing criticism from some speakers.

David Turner pointed to findings from a recent “People’s Budget” survey, noting that many respondents had direct experience with the justice system — including one in six who report being physically harmed by law enforcement. He said the data reflects a broader disconnect between public institutions and the communities most affected by policing.

Organizers said the next phase of the fight will extend beyond the criminal justice system, pointing to continued community organizing, policy advocacy and other forms of pressure aimed at securing accountability.

The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the dismissal or the community response.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said it would provide additional responses to questions. Those responses were not received in time for publication.

Abdullah said Mitchell’s mother has been too devastated by the decision to speak publicly.

Carr, reflecting on the outcome, framed the case as part of broader political decisions shaping how such cases are handled.

“Elections have consequences,” he said. “When the wrong people get in office, they can set political agendas that are adverse to communities of color.”

For Turner, the moment reflects a broader turning point.

“We’re at a crossroads right now,” he said. “We can build a world that actually supports people — or we can go deeper into the status quo.”

Stephen Oduntan is a freelance writer for Wave Newspapers.