This year alone there has been over a half dozen people killed by police shootings in San Jose.

On February 17, 2004 my father, Rudy Cardenas, became one of them. He was taken from my life forever. My father was shot in the back by state narcotics agent Michael Walker.

My father was running away from Walker who was dressed in regular clothing in an alley in Downtown San Jose. Witnesses said that my father had his hands up saying "Don't shoot." My father's death was unjust and our family demanded an open grand jury for the shooter Michael Walker. The open grand jury was held in July. During the grand jury my family, friends, and the community were disgusted by the series of mistakes that led to my father's death. The State Narcotics Agents did not even follow any of their own procedures. Each agent told a different story on what occurred that day and they were caught in lie after lie. My family had no hope that justice would be served. No state agent had ever been indicted in the history of California. In the end of the grand jury my family was very surprised when the jury came out with their verdict. Walker was indicted on voluntary manslaughter. We did our own research on Walker and found out that he was on the Board of Directors of a group called the Central Coast Gang Investigators Association. The CCGIA is an organization that trains law enforcement on how to deal with gangs. Also on the board was Brian Link, another agent who chased my father. CCGIA was scheduled to give a training in San Jose at the Double Tree Hotel in early September. How could Walker and Link be training other officers procedures when they could not even follow their own?

[ Justice for Rudy Cardenas I Indybay's Coverage ]