Ronell Foster

People

Ronell Foster

Outcome

unknown

On February 13, 2018, Ronell Foster, a 33-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by Vallejo, California police officer Ryan McMahon following a pursuit that began as a stop for riding a bicycle without a light at night. Foster, who did not own a car, frequently rode his bicycle around his hometown, often with his teenage son and 5-year-old daughter. When McMahon attempted to stop him, Foster fled on foot into a nearby backyard. McMahon chased him, cornered him, tased him, and struck him repeatedly with a flashlight. During the struggle, Foster grabbed McMahon's flashlight. McMahon then fired seven shots, striking Foster once in the head, four times in the back, and twice on the left side of his body. An internal review later noted that "Officer McMahon failed to recognize his safety and the safety of the suspect Ronell Foster outweighed apprehension for a minor traffic/pedestrian violation." McMahon's decision to pursue Foster alone, without backup, increased the danger to both himself and Foster. The Solano County District Attorney ruled the shooting justified, stating prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that McMahon's use of deadly force was unjustified. However, the Vallejo Police Department later fired McMahon, finding he had violated department policies by "engaging in unsafe conduct and neglect for basic firearm safety." The city eventually settled with Foster's family for $5.7 million. Court testimony later revealed a disturbing practice within the department: after McMahon killed Foster, another officer bent the tip of McMahon's badge, inducting him into a secretive clique of officers who had killed in the line of duty. This "badge-bending" ritual had existed within the department since 2003.