Police release shooting video
EL CAJON, CALIF. — Video footage released Friday of the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in a San Diego suburb shows an officer fired four shots almost immediately after the man suddenly raised both hands and took what was described as a shooting stance.
The video was released after three nights of unruly and at times violent pro - tests, and on the eve of a large demonstration called for by the man’s family, who had pressured authorities to show the full footage of the fatal encounter.
In addition to releasing the short cellphone video shot by a worker in a drivethru window at a Mexican restaurant, authorities also released surveillance footage shot from a similar vantage point.
The sur veillance video shows Officer Richard Gonsalves with his weapon drawn approaching Olango, who moves side to side and backs up toward a white pickup truck. The heads of both men are blurred in the video.
Police Chief Jeff Davis said the decision to release the video c ame out of a concern for public safety after demonstrations had become increasingly violent.
On Thursday night a small group of protesters threw rocks, bottles and bricks at police, and one officer was stuck in the head.
Alfred Olango, 38, a Ugandan refugee who arrived in the U.S. as a boy, was fatally shot Tuesday by an El Cajon officer responding to dispatches about a mentally unstable man behaving erratically and walking in traffic.
Police said Olango had not obeyed an order to remove a hand from his pants pocket and was fatally shot after he quickly withdrew an object and pointed it at an officer in a “shooting stance.” The object turned out to be an e-cigarette device.
The family declined to see the videos before a news conference, according to the chief, who said he did not know why.
The decision to release the witness video and footage from a security camera was welcomed by their lawyer.