3 Northern California law enforcement officers charged in death of man held facedown on the ground

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Three Northern California law enforcement officers have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a man who was pinned facedown during a 2021 incident that drew comparisons to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The charges against James Fisher, Cameron Leahy and Eric McKinley were announced Thursday by Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.

The charges were filed just before the statute of limitations were to expire and marked a reversal of a decision by a previous district attorney who cleared the officers of wrongdoing.

Mario Gonzalez, 26, died in the city of Alameda on April 19, 2021. McKinley, Fisher and Leahy were all Alameda police officers at the time. McKinley and Leahy are still with that department but Fisher is now a Contra Costa County sheriff’s deputy.

The officers confronted Gonzalez after receiving 911 calls that said he appeared disoriented or drunk. According to police video, he resisted being handcuffed and they pinned him to the ground for several minutes before he became unconscious.