Man sentenced 50 years to life for 2022 shooting of Mountain View police officer during traffic stop
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- A man convicted of shooting a Mountain View police officer during a 2022 traffic stop was sentenced Wednesday in Santa Clara County to 50 years to life in prison.
Body camera footage from the encounter showed Jeffrey Choy, 37, shooting the officer at nearly point-blank range during a DUI stop.
During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, the Mountain View police officer, who requested not to be identified, addressed the court through an emotional letter. The officer said his physical injuries have healed, but the emotional effects of the shooting remain.
In the letter, the officer said his relationships with his four children, his wife and his colleagues at the Mountain View Police Department have been permanently affected by the shooting. He said Choy handed him an emotional life sentence when he pulled the trigger and urged the judge to impose a life sentence in return.
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The judge agreed, sentencing Choy to 50 years to life in prison.
"It's painful to listen to somebody that you care about, a community hero, talk about such a difficult experience. We're grateful that he was able to see an appropriate sentence so that he can have that closure," Mountain View Police Department Chief Michael Canfield said.
Santa Clara Co. Deputy District Attorney Marisa McKeown praised the court's decision, saying, "Thankfully, Judge Buckelew, in a scathing rebuke of the defendant's plea for leniency, ultimately said, 'No, you deserve the full force of the law and a life sentence 50 years to life is what's deserved on this set of facts.'"
Choy's attorney argued that his client had changed during his time in custody following the shooting. The attorney said Choy was sexually abused by his father as a child, which led to addictions to alcohol and methamphetamine and contributed to criminal behavior, including six prior felony convictions.
Canfield said the case underscores the need for justice system reforms.
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"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, a career criminal. This should not have happened, and it should be a wakeup call to everyone, including our community, that there needs to be reforms and revisions," Canfield said.
The sentence means Choy will remain in custody and likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
"We are so pleased that he will no longer be able to harm us, or police officers or any member of our community," McKeown said.
It will be recommended that Choy serve his sentence in a facility that provides continued mental health treatment and rehabilitation.
