A member of the Antioch City Council is facing a misdemeanor charge of resisting, delaying or obstructing law enforcement. Charges were filed with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office against Tamisha Torres-Walker last week in connection with an October 3 shooting outside her home.
Police allege the shots were fired during a large party at Torres-Walker’s home. Shell casings were recovered at the scene. The councilwoman denies the shooting took place.
“This Police Department has been harassing me since I was sworn into office,” she told KTVU.
"It's another attack on me and my family. Shots are fired almost every night in that neighborhood.”
Torres-Walker has had a long and contentious relationship with Antioch PD. She ran on a platform of racial justice and police reform. Torres-Walker, who is Black, says she was arrested 22 times in her youth, which shaped her perspective on the criminal justice system.
After a May 2020 incident involving her sons, Torres-Walker excoriated police in a 9-minute screed on social media. The city commissioned an independent investigation into allegations she made against the police department. That investigation concluded the claims were unfounded. However, last month, the Antioch City Council agreed to reopen the investigation citing new developments.
The alleged shooting in October was reported by neighbors and showed up on the city’s gunshot detection system. Police claim Torres-Walker appeared to be intoxicated when they arrived and refused to cooperate. A neighbor told the East Bay Times that her security system captured audio of Torres-Walker yelling, but no footage has been released to the public.
As Torres-Walker and Antioch PD spar over the events of October 3, city leaders appear to have taken a side. Mayor Lamar Thorpe called on Torres-Walker to step down as chair of the Antioch police oversight committee, which she has done. Other city officials have said she should be removed from the committee entirely. One fellow council member, Mike Barbanica, has called for her to resign from the city council.