A San Francisco cop has been charged in the fatal shooting of a man during a deadly encounter in January 2017. Officer Kenneth Cha, fatally shot Sean Moore while conducting a restraining violation call.

According to Fox News, Cha was charged with voluntary manslaughter, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and enhancements for personal use of a firearm, as well as infliction of great bodily injury. Moore died on Jan. 20, 2020 from his gunshot injuries three years after the encounter.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said the coroner determined Moore’s cause of death as a homicide. Investigations revealed that the officer lacked a basis to have even arrested Moore as they had only been responding to a call by a neighbor who reported that Moore violated a temporary restraining order that prohibited noise harassment. Moore on the other hand denied harassing his neighbor at the time saying he had been merely sweeping a flight of stairs that leads to his apartment unit and was throwing out trash.

Prosecutors said Moore repeatedly asked Cha and his partner, Officer Colin Patino, to leave. Cha pepper sprayed Moore then went downstairs. Moore stepped out of his apartment unit but remained within the confines of a security gate while the officers demanded he hand over the restraining order papers. Moore dropped the papers through the gate and proceeded upstairs refusing to adhere to the officers commands to step outside.

Cha threatened to kick in the gate and allegedly told Moore he was under arrest. Moore went downstairs and informed the officer he needed medical attention but the pair ran up with their batons to confront Moore.

The confrontation ended with a scuffle that sent Patino falling down the stairs and Cha shooting Moore twice in his abdomen. The shots had hit his right colon, caused lacerations to Moore’s liver as well severe stomach adhesions. Reports sent in by the medical examiner stated that Moore suffered and died from acute intestinal obstruction from his bullet wounds.

San Francisco Police Officers Association president Tony Montoya, said officers Cha and Patino were met with a "very hostile" Moore. "We support Officer Cha's constitutionally protected right to present his defense against these charges that stemmed from this extremely volatile incident,” he added.

Some have criticized and questioned Boudin's motive, saying the charges have been more about taking attention away from a potential recall. The San Francisco Police Officers Association, have also expressed sharp criticism in Boudin's criminal charging decisions. Cha's attorney, Scott Burrell also released a statement which reads, "Since 2017, both District Attorney Boudin's administration, as well as the prior administration, declined to file charges against Officer Cha on these very same facts."

Apparently, Boudin's office filed felony charges against Sean Moore in 2017 for his violent assault on Officer Cha and Officer Patino. Moore was held to answer on those charges in the Superior Court. However, Burrell said it was surprising how Boudin now argues that Moore did nothing wrong and Officer Cha is criminally charged.

"The only new "fact" is that Boudin is now facing a recall election," Burrell added.

Moore had also been previously charged with eight criminal counts but charges were eventually dismissed. While Boudin’s office said three separate courts ruled both Cha and Patino acted unlawfully, Moore’s family had earlier agreed to a lawsuit settlement with the city amounting to $3.25 million

Cha is the 18th SFPD officer to be charged with excessive force. He was also involved in another shooting four months after the encounter with Moore where he killed a man in Subway restaurant that had stabbed an employee.

A San Francisco police officer
A San Francisco police officer inspects a gun that is being surrendered during a gun buy back program on December 15, 2012 in San Francisco, California. The San Francisco police department held a one-day gun buy back event that paid $200 per gun turned in. A better than expected crowd resulted in payback money running out and vouchers were issued to collect money within a week. Over 200 guns were collected. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images