Family of man shot by police in California wants full video released

EL CAJON, Calif. — An unarmed black man fatally shot by an officer in a San Diego suburb was unjustly killed and the police department and chief prosecutor are trying to sway public opinion by only releasing a single, favorable frame from video of the shooting, representatives of the man’s family said Thursday in demanding the full video be shown.

After two nights of angry protests in El Cajon, where the shooting occurred Tuesday afternoon, Alfred Olango’s family gathered with lawyers and religious leaders and urged people to continue demonstrating but implored them to do it peacefully to honor his memory.

Olango’s anguished mother said her son was a good, joyful man who suffered a “mental breakdown” over the recent death of his best friend and needed compassion when police encountered him. Pamela Benge said her family had escaped war-torn Uganda to come to the U.S. for safety and she asked why police didn’t just shock her son with a stun gun or shoot him in the leg.

“He needed someone who was going to calm him down and then take care of the situation,” she said, her voice thick with emotion and dark glasses covering her eyes. “Not to come and just finish his life.”

Olango’s sister had called police three times Tuesday to report that he was sick, “not acting like himself,” and was walking in traffic. It took officers more than an hour to respond. Once they arrived, the shooting took place within about a minute.

Police released a still frame from a bystander’s video that showed the 38-year-old Olango with his hands together at chest level and pointed at an officer directly in front of him. Police Chief Jeff Davis said Olango refused to obey orders to remove a hand from his pants pocket and was shot after he swiftly drew an object from his front pocket and pointed at the officer in a “shooting stance.”

The object turned out to be a 4-inch electronic cigarette, known as a vape pen.