Southern California:
San Diego-area shooting death by police of black man leads to protests.
EL CAJON, San Diego County — The fatal police shooting of a Ugandan refugee who drew something from his pocket and extended his hands in a “shooting stance” happened about a minute after officers in a San Diego suburb arrived where a distraught man was reportedly walking in traffic, a police spokesman said Wednesday.
It took police more than an hour to respond because of other calls, El Cajon Lt. Rob Ransweiler said. Officers arrived at a parking lot next to a Mexican fast-food restaurant about 2:10 p.m., and Alfred Olango, who was unarmed, was shot about a minute later, police said.
Mayor Bill Wells said he was concerned how quickly the shooting took place, though he said video taken by a bystander was enlightening and he didn’t think it was “tremendously complicated to figure out what happened.”
Police said the man had refused to comply with instructions to remove a hand from his pants pocket and paced back and forth before rapidly drawing an object from the pocket. The item turned out to be an electronic cigarette device, police said late Wednesday.
Some protesters said he was shot while his hands were raised in the air, though police disputed that and produced a single frame from the cell phone video to support their account.
The image showed the man in what police called a “shooting stance.” His hands were clasped together and he was pointing directly at an officer who had assumed a similar posture a few feet away. That officer fired his handgun and a second officer, farther away, simultaneously fired his electric stun gun, Chief Jeff Davis said.
Wells was asked how he would feel if it was his child who had been shot.
“I saw a man who was distraught, and a man acting like he was in great pain,” Wells said. “And I saw him get gunned down and killed. If he was my son, I would be devastated.”
The FBI and the district attorney also are investigating.
An attorney for Olango’s family said he was distraught over the recent death of his best friend and was having an emotional breakdown.
Olango, 38, had a history of brushes with the law, including selling cocaine, driving drunk and illegally possessing a 9mm semi-automatic handgun when he was arrested in Colorado in 2005 with pot and ecstasy in his car, according to court records.
The single photo is all police released depicting the incident that sparked angry protests by demonstrators demanding more information and wanting to know how police could shoot an unarmed man.
Olango’s family demanded the full video be released, a lawyer representing them said.
“They’re cherry-picking part of the video,” attorney Dan Gilleon said. “This is exactly what police have said is unfair when only portions of video are released against them.”
Candles and flowers were left Wednesday at the shooting scene.
After dark, about 150 people marched down wide avenues near the shooting scene yelling “no justice, no peace, no racist police!”
Some drivers honked and thrust fists out of car windows in support.