The only video to capture the El Cajon police shooting of Alfred Olango was released September 30.
The video, which was filmed by a citizen on a cell phone, runs just over a minute. Olango’s death has sparked protests on the streets of the San Diego-area suburb. Police acknowledge Olango, a cook and furniture worker, was not armed with a firearm, and they say one officer fired the fatal shot as another was deploying a taser. Olango had a vape electronic device in his hand, they say.
Click to watch the video of Olango’s shooting:
Here is a picture of the vape electronic device police say Olango was holding:
(El Cajon police)
In a previous news release, police said, “The vape has an all silver cylinder (Smok TFV4 MINI) that is approximately 1” diameter and 3” long that was pointed toward the officer. The box of the vape that was held in his grip, is 4” x 2 1/4”s x 1” (Pioneer for You Vape). The vape was collected as evidence from the scene.”
You can watch the police news conference below where the DA and police released the video shortly after 2 p.m. California time. The press conference was slightly delayed because there was such a long line of media waiting to get into the press conference to see the video for the first time:
Police said in a previous news release that Olango assumed a two-handed shooting-like stance with the vape device and pointed it in the face of the officer who fired.
A still photo from the El Cajon police department of the shooting. (El Cajon Police Department)
Police previously released a single still shot from the video (above) to back up their point. It shows Olango in the stance described by police. However, since that time, El Cajon police have been under pressure from Olango’s family and others to release the full video shot by a citizen on a mobile phone device.
The shooting of the 38-year-old Ugandan immigrant has sparked days of protests in the streets of El Cajon, which is a suburb of San Diego. Previously released videos showed citizen eyewitnesses claiming that Olango was shot with his arms outstretched and pleading with police not to shoot him.
Police had said previously that Olango did not have his hands in the air. They initially resisted calls to release the video, saying the district attorney had it as part of the shooting investigation. However, the DA joined with police at the news conference Friday to release the video.
Police had faced accusations the day of the shooting that they confiscated cell phones at the scene. However, they say the cell phone video was given to them voluntarily by the person who took it. Police say they did not seize any cell phones.
The shooting reached higher profile when a woman streamed the aftermath live on Facebook. That dramatic video captured Olango’s sister’s grief. She says she called 911 to get him help. Family members have said Olango was upset about the loss of a friend, and there were reports he was having a mental health issue. His family said he was having an emotional breakdown but wasn’t mentally ill, according to NBC News.
El Cajon police are not outfitted with body cameras.
Police took 50 minutes to respond to the scene and say they found Olango wandering in traffic when they arrived. Olango had a criminal history and authorities tried unsuccessfully to deport him, The Los Angeles Times said.
