3 Officers Fired Following Fatal Shooting Of Two Brothers By Police In Bay Area

Tahmon and Tommy Wilson were shot by the police in Martinez, California.

Three police officers from the Martinez Police Department have been fired after being involved in the shooting of two brothers, Tahmon and Tommy Wilson. Martinez Police Chief Andrew White identified the four officers who enacted the deadly Aug. 18, 2023 shooting as: Cole Bennett, Marc Kahue, Raul Ceja-Mendez, and Alexander Tirona.

Tahmon and Tommy were shot by the four MPD officers in Martinez, outside of a cannabis dispensary location. While Tommy managed to survive his gunshot wounds, Tahmon died from the incident.

After being shot, police officer Giani Arone taunted the still-living brother — Tommy — by saying, “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”

Police Chief White confirmed on March 15 that three officers had been terminated for their involvement, including Arone. MPD has since released further information about the incident, including police reports, videos, photos, and additional testimonial records.

Tommy is being represented by civil rights attorney Adanté Pointer from Pointer and Buelna law firm. Pointer previously described, “There is no reasonable or lawful explanation for the lethal force employed by the four officers involved. State law prohibits using deadly force against a fleeing vehicle that does not pose an immediate threat.”

The Aug. 18 shooting began when Tommy and Tahmon were declared as suspects attempting to burglarize the Martinez Dispensary called Velvet. Their attempts reportedly triggered a security alarm that called officers to respond.
According to police records, Tommy and Tahmon were driving away from a cannabis store when four officers began shooting at them. Tahmon was hit in the back of his head and Tommy was shot twice in his back by police after their sedan crashed into a fire hydrant.

According to KRON4, Tommy was sitting in the passenger seat of the sedan. After the shooting, Officer Arone arrived on the scene and struck Tommy several times with his knee while the bleeding man was handcuffed.

Arone continued to taunt Tommy after realizing that he had already been shot, telling him, “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”

Chief White wrote a letter to Arone, condemning his conduct on the scene. White wrote, “You violated several Martinez Police Department policies during this incident. One of the suspects — who had been shot — exited the vehicle in the direction of officers and was then handcuffed without resisting. While pulling him, you delivered two or three knee strikes to the suspect’s head/face area. Force was not justified because the suspect was handcuffed, not resisting, and not disobeying any commands.”

Chief White called the use of excessive force against Tommy at the hands of Arone, “disgraceful conduct.”

After fatally shooting Tahmon and beating Tommy, the named officers then engaged in a cover-up, as Officer Arone proceeded to hide two knives for Officer Tirona to conceal from the investigation, one of the officers involved in the shooting since “one of the knives is a type that is prohibited to be worn on duty.”

Chief White concluded, “It is disappointing that misconduct occurred at the scene of this incident after the shooting and understandably adds a layer of complexity to the officer-involved shooting investigation. Once we learned of the misconduct, we took immediate action, conducting thorough investigations, and ultimately imposing termination as a disciplinary measure.”

Currently, the four officers involved in the Wilson shooting are being investigated by the California Department of Justice, and the MPD is awaiting the results.