Anger erupts over El Cajon, Calif., shooting
Activists and multiple witnesses are outraged over the latest police-involved shooting of a black man — this time at a strip mall in suburban San Diego.
Authorities said that an African-American man in his 30s was fatally shot after he pulled an object from his pants pocket and pointed it at two police officers in a “shooting stance.” To support this claim, the El Cajon Police Department released a still frame taken from a cellphone video. They have not yet revealed what kind of object he was holding.
In a Facebook live stream of the shooting’s aftermath, a woman wearing hospital scrubs, who identified herself as the deceased man’s sister, said she had called the police to help her brother.
“Oh my God, you killed my brother!” she cried. “I just called for help, and you came and killed him. I called you guys to come help, not to kill my brother!”
The bystander who posted the video to Facebook, Rumbie Mubaiwa, started the live stream by saying, “The police did it again, y’all. They shot another unarmed black person as usual. And the lady is saying she called them for help, not to kill her brother.”
Police have not yet officially named the shooting victim, but relatives have identified him to multiple news outlets, such as the New York Daily News and Al Jazeera, as Alfred Olango. His name quickly started to trend on social media.
According to what appears to be his Facebook page, Olango lived in San Diego and was a head cook at a Hooters restaurant. His page indicates he studied at San Diego Mesa College and San Diego High School and was originally from Gulu, Uganda.
Slideshow: Police shoot and kill a man in El Cajon, Calif. >>>
Demonstrators gathered at the site of the shooting to speak out against what they consider a scourge of systemic police brutality against young black men. Over the past two weeks, similar fatal encounters have occurred in Charlotte, N.C., and Tulsa, Okla.
The outrage exploded on social media overnight. Many were furious that Olango, who apparently suffered from epilepsy (a neurological disease characterized by seizures), was shot and killed when his sister said she had been reaching out for help.
Seizure First Aid:
– time the seizure
– roll the person on his side
– protect from injury
– don't SHOOT them#AlfredOlango— Kick (@MatthewKick) September 28, 2016
Imagine calling 911 so your epileptic brother doesn't die from a seizure only to have him killed by the police that show up #AlfredOlango
— blackbubbles (@itstifftiara) September 28, 2016
Only in a racist ableist culture is a black man seeking help while having a seizure called "acting erratic." #AlfredOlango #blacklivesmatter
— Janet Mock (@janetmock) September 28, 2016
Addendum to the list of things black people can't do: have seizures and call an ambulance. #AlfredOlango
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) September 28, 2016
After mass shootings some ppl love to talk about investing in mental health treatment. Don't hear those ppl saying much about #AlfredOlango.
— Clint Smith (@ClintSmithIII) September 28, 2016
I have seizures, and I can assure you that being shot has never been part of any treatment plan provided to me. #AlfredOlango
— Ashley C. Ford (@iSmashFizzle) September 28, 2016
Black men are scary to police officers even when we are having epileptic seizures? Rest easy #AlfredOlango
— Everette Taylor (@Everette) September 28, 2016
Early Tuesday evening, eyewitnesses said Olango had his hands raised in a show of surrender when police shot him. These claims exacerbated the discontent.
Michael Rodriguez says he saw man with hands up shot my El Cajon PD officers. He heard five shots fired. pic.twitter.com/zC68rXpAxc
— David Hernandez (@D4VIDHernandez) September 28, 2016
However, the El Cajon Police Department swiftly responded to those claims by tweeting that his hands were not in the air and released the aforementioned still frame for corroboration.
The investigation just started, but based on the video voluntarily provided by a witness, the subject did NOT have his hands up in the air
— El Cajon Police (@elcajonpolice) September 28, 2016
Similarly, the police department used Twitter to rebut witness claims to local media that their phones were confiscated following the shooting.
We ask that the community please be careful about reacting to inaccurate information. No phones were confiscated from anyone at the scene.
— El Cajon Police (@elcajonpolice) September 28, 2016
The police department said in a statement that it had received multiple calls of a man who was “not acting like himself” and walking into traffic, endangering himself and drivers. One officer told the man to remove his hand from his pocket and drew his gun when the man did not comply, according to police. A second officer arrived and prepared to use a “less lethal electronic control device,” authorities said.
“At one point, the subject rapidly drew an object from his front pants pocket, placed both hands together and extended them rapidly toward the officer taking up what appeared to be a shooting stance,” the statement read. “At this time, the officer with the electronic control device discharged his weapon. Simultaneously, the officer with the firearm discharged his weapon several times, striking the subject.”
A witness approached detectives, who arrived on scene to investigate the officer, and volunteered to provide his phone to the police department to download the video, according to the police statement.
The El Cajon Police Department encourages anyone with information about the incident to call 619-579-3311.
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