An Officer-Involved Shooting Of A Black Man Sparks Protests In El Cajon, California

Following the recent fatal shootings of black men by cops in Tulsa and Charlotte, another officer-involved shooting death has sparked protests in El Cajon, California. The above ABC7 video (courtesy of Ashley Matthews) shows what NPR describes as dozens of protesters, who remained peaceful, gathering after a press conference. According to CNN’s report, conflicting stories surround the death of the unnamed man (now identified as Alfred Olango), whose sister reacted in video footage, “Oh my God. You killed my brother. I just called for help and … you killed him.”

The incident involved two El Cajon Police Department officers, who were called to the scene over a man behaving “erratically” and “not like himself” while walking in traffic and endangering public safety. The man reportedly did not obey officers’ commands and kept his hands in his pockets. One officer readied his taser, while — according to the police statement — the man removed an object from his pocket and stood in a “shooting stance” while pointing it “like you would be holding a firearm.” At that point, the two officers simultaneously shot and tasered the man. His wounds were fatal.

Investigators are working to determine whether the man was armed, but conflicting reports — coupled with the fact that El Cajon officers don’t wear bodycams — could muddle the facts of the case. In the below press conference, Police Chief Jeff Davis urged the public to consider that all information is preliminary. However, he stated that investigators did not recover a gun from the scene.

(Via NPR, CNN & Ashley Matthews of NBC 7)

×