Sean Monterrosa was a 22-year-old Argentine-American from the San Francisco Bay Area. He was fatally wounded by police officer Jarrett Tonn on June 2, 2020 amid the George Floyd protests. ^{[1] [2] [4]}

Monterrosa grew up in Bernal Heights, San Francisco and attended Aptos Middle School before graduating from Independence High School in San Francisco. ^[4] He was the child of Argentine immigrants and the middle of three children, each spaced two years apart. ^[4]

His father, Neftali Monterrosa was a surgeon in Argentina, but it was nearly impossible for him to go back to school and learn how to be a doctor again in the United States, especially with his first child on the way. So, for the past 24 years, Neftali Monterrosa has worked at Anchor Oyster bar in the Castro neighborhood, where the Monterrosas were welcomed into the community. ^[4]

Monterrosa enjoyed drawing, skateboarding and boxing, and he talked about building generational wealth. From an early age, he set his sights on lofty goals. ^[4]

By the time he was 13 or 14, still unable to legally work, he became set on helping provide for the family, and created his own off-the-books gig.

He would walk around local nightclubs, like Monarch in the South of Market neighborhood, selling hot dogs to tipsy patrons.

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From 2015 to 2017, Monterrosa participated in the Lifeworks program at Horizons Unlimited, which seeks to help youth develop career and job skills.

After the program Monterrosa became a voracious reader and developed into a mentor who wanted to help other kids develop a love of learning. ^[4]

In the past few years, Monterrosa had worked as a security guard and more recently as a carpenter. Before his death, he wanted to buy his mother a new house. ^[4]

Police in the Bay Area were responding to a call of alleged looting on June 2, 2020, when they found Monterrosa outside a Walgreens store. An officer in an unmarked vehicle fired five bullets at him through his windshield. The police chief claimed the officer believed Monterrosa had a gun, but he only had a hammer in his pocket. ^{[1] [17]}

Police stated Monterrosa was on his knees with his arms above his waist when the incident occurred.

Monterrosa was fatally hit once.

^[2]

Monterrosa last location pinged at 1050 Redwood St. in Vallejo, California the address of the Walgreens where he was shot.

Police and hospital staffers refused to provide any answers, and it wasn’t until the next morning when his sisters began calling mortuaries when they found out about his death. ^{[4] [15] [16]}

The Bay Area News Group identified the officer as Jarrett Tonn and reported that this was the fourth time in five years that he has fired his gun at a person on duty, including two shootings within a six-week period in 2017. Those previous shootings were not fatal. ^[1]

The California Department of Justice has launched an investigation and reform initiative for the Vallejo police department, which is facing national scrutiny after the death of Sean Monterrosa. ^[2]

His family is now represented by civil rights attorney John Burris, who attended a news conference on Wednesday June 3, 2020, and called the circumstances of the police shooting “disturbing.”

"He hadn’t done anything to threaten the officer or anyone else,” Burris stated, stressing that Monterrosa was on his knees when he was shot.

“Even if it had been a gun, he did not try to pull it out. There was no basis to shoot him. He overreacted." ^[2]