California Police authorities finally released the video of two police officers shooting an unarmed black man on Friday. The video quality, grainy and mostly without audio, did not help in calming the rage of the community.
On Tuesday, two officers fatally shot an Uganda born citizen, Alfredo Olango aged 31. Authorities however, made no decision that concerns filing a criminal case against the two officers involved.
El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis said in a news conference. “This is as difficult a situation as any law enforcement officer will ever encounter and its one we never seek”. He then added “That being the case, a tragic event took place that took a life and had a major impact on our community.”
El Cajon officer Richard Gonsalves and Josh McDaniel both have 21 years in service. The two officers responded to an emergency call about a “mentally unstable” man walking in traffic.
The police officials said Olango ignored commands to take his hand out of his pocket. He then pulled out an object and assumed a “shooting stance”, and pointed the device. The object Olango carried turns out to be a vaping device, a 3-inch-long (8-cm) cylinder used to inhale nicotine. The police found no gun in the scene.
Series of events
Before police authorities released their video, two other videos surfaced showing the incident. The Los Ponchos Taco stand in El Cajon captured the incident on their drive thru window camera. The other video came from a bystander’s cellphone.
Both of the videos show two police officers confronting Olango, one with a gun the other with a taser before opening fire in the restaurant’s parking lot.
The video from the cellphone only last 17 seconds but a distinct voice of a woman can be heard in the background. It appears she shouted “Officer don’t shoot him!” before at least four shots resonated in the background with the woman screams.
An officer obscured the camera hence making it hard for authorities to see Olango’s action moments before he got shot.
Family members and activists appealed for several days for the police to release the video. Believing it will shed light on how police officers acted improperly during the confrontation.
During a press conference on Thursday, Olangos’ emotionally distressed mother said her son is having mental breakdown; instead of shooting her son, the police should have helped him.
On Friday, Dan Gilleon, the lawyer representing the family said that the newly released footage supported their position that the officers had “provoked a mentally disturbed person.”
Activists and family members also scrutinize police for releasing a still photograph of Olango. The photograph shows Olango pointing an object to an officer, giving misinterpretations and unfair judgments for the former Ugandan refugee
Anger from Africa
Olango’s death sparked controversy reaching several countries including Africa. International officials criticized not only Olango’s death but also the series of events in police killings of black men in the US.
The shooting led to a protest in El Cajon, a suburb of San Diego on Thursday. Police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd and arrested two men for unlawful assembly.
Police authorities put Gonsalves and MacDaniel on administrative leave while investigations continue.
The post California; Police Release Video of Police Officers Shooting Unarmed Black Man appeared first on Newsline.
No comments:
Post a Comment