Boston Herald

Hundreds march in memory of man shot by police in Calif.

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EL CAJON, Calif. — Alfred Olango, the unarmed black man shot and killed by police in a suburb of San Diego, was remembered in a demonstrat­ion yesterday organized by clergy members and supporters of Olango’s family.

Several hundred people gathered peacefully at a park in downtown El Cajon to hear speeches by religious leaders and then marched through the streets to police headquarte­rs, where Olango’s family members joined them.

Olango’s father, Richard Olango Abuka, called for the resignatio­n of the police chief and said his son’s death is a turning point in a peaceful struggle to change police practices. Other speakers demanded changes in how police respond to calls about people in mental distress.

The event came a day after two videos of the shooting were released by authoritie­s, something the family and community leaders had urged.

The videos show the officer fired four times at close range almost immediatel­y after Olango, 38, suddenly raised both hands to chest level and took what was described as a shooting stance. In addition to the videos, police showed the 4-inch electronic cigarette device Olango had in his hands when he was shot.

The shots came less than a minute after police arrived at the scene in response to Olango’s sister calling 911 and reporting he was acting erraticall­y.

The videos were released after nights of unruly and, at times, violent protests in El Cajon.

The incident is the latest in a series of fatal shootings of black men that have roiled communitie­s across the U.S. It came weeks after fatal shootings by police in Tulsa, Okla., and Charlotte, N.C.

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