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Danville Police Officer Andrew Hall, center, heads into his preliminary hearing at the A. F. Bray Courthouse in Martinez on July 20 for the death of Laudemer Arboleda. (Photo by Harika Maddala/Bay City News)
Danville Police Officer Andrew Hall will stand trial on a voluntary manslaughter charge in the 2018 shooting death of Laudemer Arboleda, but a judge threw out a charge of assault with a semi-automatic weapon, saying at a preliminary hearing Tuesday the prosecutor didn't adequately prove the gun used was technically semi-automatic.
Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Terri Mockler said there wasn't enough evidence showing Hall's claim of self-defense in firing 10 bullets at Laudemer was legitimate to warrant dismissing the manslaughter charge before trial. Hall's defense team argued that Arboleda was driving his car at Hall, and the shooting may have saved his life.