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SALT LAKE CITY — The brother of a man who was killed by police in 2018 has pleaded guilty to interfering with an officer at a protest in Cottonwood Heights against police in 2022.
Gabriel Pecoraro's plea to the class B misdemeanor was made on Sept. 3 as part of a plea in abeyance, which means the guilty plea is not entered immediately, but in a year, and can be dismissed after he completes a year of probation.
As a result of a plea deal, two class A misdemeanor counts of assaulting an officer, which he was charged with in connection with the same protest, were dropped.
The case was filed on Sept. 1, 2020, about a month after the protest, and took just over four years to resolve. During that time, multiple trials were scheduled, first in November 2021 and most recently in February 2024.
In addition to court probation, Pecoraro was ordered to pay a $250 fine as part of his sentence.
On Aug. 2, 2020, at a protest against police violence that memorialized Zane James, 19, who was shot by police in 2018, police asked protesters to walk on sidewalks instead of the street to refrain from blocking traffic.
Fights broke out between police and protesters and eight people were arrested, including Pecoraro and James' father. Two others, Ren Alex Knab and Andrew Ryan Carter, were eventually charged. Both pleaded guilty in 2021 to assaulting an officer, a class A misdemeanor, and were sentenced to 24 months of probation, which has already been completed.
Officers' role in Zane James' death
Police say James robbed two stores at gunpoint on May 29, 2018. About 10 minutes after the second robbery, Cottonwood Heights police officer Casey Davies spotted James on a motorcycle and tried to stop him because he matched the suspect description. A short pursuit ended in a residential area near 6675 S. 2200 East.
James was knocked off his motorcycle by Davies' patrol car and then got up and ran from the officer, putting his hands near his waistband as he fled, according to police. He was shot twice in the back, and officers found a realistic-looking gun — which turned out to be a pellet gun — in his pocket.
James' parents filed a civil lawsuit against Davies and Cottonwood Heights city in 2019. During the civil lawsuit investigation, Davis admitted to seeing James reach for something as he was riding away, prompting the officer to decide to "run him over," knocking him down before the confrontation.
In May 2022, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office said reviewing new evidence led them to determine the Cottonwood Heights officer was not justified in using deadly force with his patrol car to knock James down. However, District Attorney Sim Gill said the shooting of James remains justified and declined to file charges against the officer.
The family ultimately reached a $4 million settlement with the city's insurance provider.
