Videos show fatal shooting in Vallejo parking space dispute: Justified or 'murder'?

A screenshot from a video released by the Vallejo Police Department shows off-duty Richmond police Sgt. Virgil Thomas in a confrontation with Eric "Cheddaman" Reason, a man he shot and killed in a parking lot. A screenshot from a video released by the Vallejo Police Department shows off-duty Richmond police Sgt. Virgil Thomas in a confrontation with Eric "Cheddaman" Reason, a man he shot and killed in a parking lot. Photo: Vallejo Police Department Photo: Vallejo Police Department Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Videos show fatal shooting in Vallejo parking space dispute: Justified or 'murder'? 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The City of Vallejo released four surveillance videos Tuesday evening that show different angles of a fatal Nov. 10, 2019 shooting involving an off-duty Richmond policeman and another man in an apparent parking dispute.

The shooting occurred after Eric "Cheddaman" Reason, 38, and off-duty Richmond police Sgt. Virgil Thomas, both Vallejo residents, argued over a parking space in the parking lot of a Valero gas station at the intersection of Fairgrounds and Sereno drives. The video, apparently captured by a convenience store's security camera, shows Thomas pulling his weapon and firing at Reason, who was armed but walking away.

The footage was seen by the Richmond police union president as a vindication of Thomas' use of deadly force. But the attorney for Reason's family told the San Jose Mercury it showed "a cold-blooded murder."

Here's how the incident unfolded as seen in the videos (no audio accompanied the footage). Note the videos, posted below, include graphic content.

—About 5:25 p.m., Thomas, driving a Mercedes, and Reason, in a minivan, try to turn into the same parking spot. A pedestrian blocks Reason, allowing Thomas to get the space. Vallejo police would later report that Thomas honked his horn "to audibly warn the other driver of his immediate presence."

—Reason parks in the middle of the lot, gets out and walks over to confront Thomas as Thomas appears to be walking into the store. What appears to be a heated argument ensues over several seconds. Reason returns to his van as Thomas again walks back towards the store.

—Reason opens the hood of his van, pulls out a pistol and begins walking back over to Thomas. More words are exchanged. Then Reason begins to walk back to the van while looking over his shoulder and speaking to Thomas.

—Meanwhile, Thomas pulls a gun from the belt of his pants and begins to shoot. Reason starts to run away, but Thomas pursues him and fires repeatedly from the middle of the parking lot.

Authorities pronounced Reason dead 50 to 100 feet from where Thomas was standing. The Reason family's attorney said he was shot in the back of the head.

Richmond police union president Ben Therriault released a statement Tuesday claiming that the video proves Thomas acted in self-defense.

"The video clearly reinforces that unfortunately, a firearm was introduced unnecessarily by Mr. Reason. Regrettably, this placed Sgt. Thomas in a position where he was forced to protect himself and the public," Therriault said.

Thomas' attorney Justin Buffington said Wednesday that his client had no choice.

"Reason boxed Sgt. Thomas and his wife's car in, retrieved a semi-automatic handgun with a 30-round magazine from its hiding place under the hood, and confronted Sgt. Thomas and his wife," Buffington said in a statement reported by KTVU's Henry Lee. "Sgt. Thomas attempted to deescalate the situation but ultimately had no other choice but to draw his own firearm to defend he and his wife."

But Melissa Nold, a civil rights attorney retained by Reason’s family, had a sharply different interpretation.

"This video shows a cold-blooded murder," Nold said in a statement to the Mercury News. "I want to know why Eric Reason's murderer isn’t in custody."

Nold has previously faulted county prosecutors for treating the incident as an officer-involved shooting despite the fact that Thomas was off-duty.

In November, Vallejo police issued a statement maintaining that Thomas was legally defending himself.

"Sgt. Thomas believed that Reason still posed an immediate threat to the safety of Sgt. Thomas, his wife, who was a passenger in the vehicle, and other patrons of the shopping complex. Sgt. Thomas subsequently fired his weapon at Reason," the statement read.

Under California law, a person can legally shoot at someone who is running away if it can be demonstrated that the shooter reasonably believed the fleeing person was retreating in order to gain a tactical advantage and attack.

Reason reportedly was construction worker and a father of six. He also performed as a local rapper appearing on stage as "Cheddaman."

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Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate