The 1980 El Camino was discontinued in 1987, but Michelle and Ashley Monterrosa seem to see one on the road all the time. Each time, it takes them back. After all, the model was one their brother Sean Monterrosa — killed by Vallejo police one year ago today — constantly worked on in his spare time.
“I don’t know,” says Ashley. “It’s always as if Sean is in one and following us.”
Only their brother isn’t in any of those cars. On June 2 of last year, the then 22-year-old Sean Monterrosa was shot by Vallejo Police Officer Jarrett Tonn in front of a Walgreens on Redwood Street while Vallejo was under curfew in response to looting.
Tonn, who believed Sean Monterrosa was reaching for a gun, fired five shots from an AK-15 rifle from the back seat, killing Sean with a shot to the neck and head. It was determined that Sean had, in fact, a claw hammer in his sweatshirt pocket. Bodycam footage released the next month did not show Sean at the time of the shooting or moments previous to the shooting.
Later in 2020, the City of Vallejo was served with a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Sean Monterrosa’s family.
A year later, the Monterrosa family is still searching for answers.
“Sometimes it’s the littlest things that trigger memories of him,” Michelle says. “Recently I heard this song by rapper 42 Dugg and I know Sean loved his music. I heard the song and wanted to text Sean about it, but couldn’t. He should still be here with us today.”
June 2, 2020
On June 1 a year ago the Monterrosa sisters were getting their nails done, going through just another day in the COVID-19 pandemic. Only a week earlier, George Floyd had been murdered by Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, so Sean sent his sisters a text message that night asking them to sign a petition to demand justice for Floyd. Michelle signed the petition and moments later Ashley did the same while also sending a heart emoji.
“He didn’t tell us he was going to Vallejo that night or anything like that. It was just a normal day and I didn’t think anything of it,” Michelle said. “But it’s the last time I talked to him. It was 11:49 that night. Thirty-seven minutes later he was dead. You just don’t think when you’re going through a normal day that someone else might be having their last countdown on their life.”
“When we found out about his death, we didn’t think it was real,” Michelle continued. “The coroner’s office let us know but we were never contacted by anyone with the Vallejo Police.”
About a month later, video footage of Monterrosa’s death was finally released. None of the cameras showed Sean Monterrosa prior to the discharge of the service weapon. The unarmed pickup truck with Tonn in it did not have an in car-camera, according to Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams.
Between the 4:54 and 5:08 mark of the video (released on July 9), one can see the rifle of officer Tonn come into view from the back of the vehicle. The sparks of the bullets go through the front windshield, but there is no sound and no sign of Monterrosa in the video. When the sound comes back on at the 5:24 mark, an officer can be heard saying, “What did he point at us?” A second officer says, “I don’t know man.” A second or two later an officer can be heard yelling, “Hey, he pointed a gun at us! Don’t move!” The same footage can be heard from another angle during the video about a minute later.
Ashley Monterrosa would later say one of the hardest parts of watching the video was hearing Tonn say, “That’s just what I needed today.”
A club nobody wants to join
In the weeks and months that followed, a series of protests and rallies were held in Vallejo, demanding justice for not only Sean Monterrosa, but also for the deaths of Angel Ramos, Ronell Foster, Willie McCoy and other members of the Black and Brown community that have been killed by the VPD. Since 2010, 19 people have been shot and killed by the department.
“There are so many families going through the same thing as us,” Michelle said. “We’ve been in the states of Wisconsin, New York, Kentucky. From the moment Sean was killed, Vallejo has loved us and welcomed us with open arms. I remember the first rally talking with Ronell Foster’s auntie, Angela. We’re only a little piece of this. There have been so many other families fighting for far longer than we have.”
Besides the protests, billboards were put up in Vallejo and San Francisco calling for “Justice for Sean Monterrosa” — one of them in close proximity to the Vallejo Police Department on Amador Street. Another sign was previously on Sonoma Boulevard and Virginia Street.
“Best believe Vallejo PD will know that we are doing everything in our power to make sure our family is the last one in Vallejo to see their loved ones murdered at the hands of police,” Michelle said at a march in September. “We will do everything in our power to make sure of that and not see these children growing up in this environment anymore.”
Scrutiny for Vallejo Police
The Monterrosa family is still angry about how the VPD handled the days immediately after Sean died. The morning of the shooting, at 4:08 a.m., police released a statement indicating that there had been an “officer-involved shooting” but declined to offer specifics on whether it was fatal and who was involved. Monterrosa had been declared dead two and a half hours before that press conference took place.
At 3 p.m. on June 3, Williams announced that the shooting involved an officer fatally shooting someone. When asked to explain more, the chief stated that at the time of the initial statement, Monterrosa had not been pronounced dead. From Bay Area News Group reports on June 10, the public learned that the police chief’s statement on June 3 was not accurate.
The VPD came under even more scrutiny when it was learned that evidence from the incident — including the windshield of the vehicle — had been destroyed. More turmoil came when the website Open Vallejo released a story in late July claiming VPD officers over the years had bent the points of their badges each time they had killed someone in the line of duty.
Michelle said the family tries to tune out the people saying Sean was shot because he was looting in the parking lot and up to no good.
“The officer doesn’t get to be judge and jury on him in that situation,” Michelle said. Ashley added, “It doesn’t matter what he was doing. Goods are replaceable, human lives are not. Jarrett Tonn didn’t have the authority to take his life. He should have been arrested, but I guess the officer wanted his badge bent.”
Both sisters are thankful that California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced that the Department of Justice will launch an independent review into the death of Sean. Bonta supported Assembly Bill 1506 — passed last year, and calling for investigations into deaths caused by officer-involved shootings of civilians.
“Thank God for Bonta, who saw what was done to Sean’s life and is acting on it,” Michelle said. “Look, the city of Vallejo doesn’t want us to make noise and they don’t want all this attention. But we’re not going to go away. We’re going to keep fighting. We want to see that city thrive as well and not have all the corruption and violence.”
‘Tucan’ and celebration of life
On Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., Sean’s family will host the 2nd Annual “Tucan’s Day” Block Party. “Tucan” is the name that Sean used when creating artwork as he grew up. The family founded “Tucan’s Day” in his honor last summer a month after his death to continue to uplift his name and legacy. The celebration on Saturday will include music, live performances and art, food, and games.
On Sunday, advocates and families of victims of police and state violence will gather for a rally at San Francisco’s City Hall at 1 p.m. to demand accountability for Sean’s death. On Wednesday, the family plans to spend time with each other privately.
“We’ve been going through so much this past year and have constantly been in the media,” Michelle says. “We love the communities that have supported us, but we need to a day to disconnect and unplug. Even when we buried Sean it was all about, what’s next, what’s next and planning. So on Wednesday, it’s going to be a very private day of reflection.”
As of press time, the Vallejo Police Department had yet to respond to questions for this article.