A Union City man convicted of shooting a Mountain View police officer during a traffic stop four years ago was sentenced Wednesday in Santa Clara County to 50 years to life in prison.
What happened in 2022
Prosecutors said the officer was working DUI enforcement after midnight on July 16, 2022, when he pulled over Jeffrey Choy for running a stop sign near Villa and Hope streets, Bay City News reported via NBC Bay Area. When the officer walked up to the driver's side, the two exchanged greetings before Choy raised a 9mm handgun and fired twice. One shot missed. The other went through the officer's arm and hit his bulletproof vest.
Choy drove off, crashed near Higdon Avenue and ran, hiding in a laundry room before leaving the city. Police arrested him the next day at a Black Bear Diner in Fremont, where he was eating with his family. Body camera footage showed the shooting at nearly point-blank range, ABC7 reported.
Choy was a felon barred from having guns. At the time, he was out on bail with an active warrant tied to a gun found during a March 2022 traffic stop.
In court
The officer, who asked not to be identified in court, addressed the judge through a letter. He wrote that his physical injuries have healed but the emotional effects remain, and that the shooting has permanently affected his relationships with his wife, his four children and his colleagues. He has returned to work.
Choy's attorney argued his client had changed while in custody and said he was abused as a child, which led to alcohol and methamphetamine addiction and contributed to six prior felony convictions. The judge rejected the plea for leniency, Deputy District Attorney Marisa McKeown told ABC7.
Mountain View Police Chief Michael Canfield said the case shows the need for changes in the justice system. "He should not have been in a position to have been arrested and then released with a firearm, having been a felon with multiple convictions," Canfield told the station.
It will be recommended that Choy serve his sentence at a facility that offers ongoing mental health treatment.