San Diego

Man Killed in El Cajon Officer-Involved Shooting Pulled Object From Pants, Held It Like ‘He Would Be Firing a Gun': PD

The shooting sparked uproar in the community, prompting many to gather at the scene and demand answers.

El Cajon Chief of Police Jeff Davis describes the events of the officer-involved shooting that happened outside of a restaurant in El Cajon Tuesday afternoon.

A black man reportedly acting erratically at a strip mall in suburban San Diego was shot and killed by El Cajon police a minute after they arrived on scene, authorities confirmed to NBC 7 San Diego. Police say the man pulled an object from his pocket, pointing it at officers and assuming a "shooting stance."

The man, 38, identified as Alfred Olango, was first reported to be walking in and out of traffic in the middle of the street and “not acting like himself,” when a woman police believe may be the man’s sister called officers for help just after 1 p.m. Tuesday.

El Cajon Police Department Lt. Rob Ransweiler said two officers first arrived at the scene at approximately 2:10 p.m. Tuesday. The officer-involved shooting happened at 2:11 to 2:12 p.m., between one to two minutes after they arrived. 

El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis said that when officers arrived on scene and located Olango, he “refused multiple instructions by the first officer on the scene,” and put his hands in his pants pocket. When officers arrived on scene, they were not aware of Olango's criminal history, as far as he knows, said Ransweiler. 

At the time, there was a Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) in the area, but they were responding to another call of a reported man darting in and out of traffic. 

He allegedly pulled an object and held it out “like he would be firing a gun,” Davis said during a press conference on Tuesday night. Police identified the object as a vape device. 

El Cajon Police Department
The El Cajon Police Department released this still from witness video, showing the man in confrontation with officers.

"At one point the male rapidly drew an object from his front pants pocket, placed both hands together on it, and extended it rapidly toward the officer taking what appeared to be a shooting stance putting the object in the officer's face,” Davis said. 

The second officer on scene began to immediately prepare a less lethal electronic control device, or Taser, as the first officer covered him, Davis said. 

Megan Tevrizian/ NBC 7 San Diego
A rally in El Cajon on Oct. 1, 2016, in response to the police shooting of Alfred Olango.
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The scene of the officer-involved shooting in El Cajon on September 27, 2016. The man who was killed was Alfred Olango, a man friends describe as a refugee from Uganda.
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Personal photos of Alfred Olango, the man shot and killed by officers with the El Cajon Police Department on Sept. 27, 2016.
Ashley Matthews/NBC 7 San Diego
Olango's sister at the scene of the officer-involved shooting in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016. His sister called police to report her brother was "not acting like himself" before he was shot and killed by officers.
Ashley Matthews/NBC 7 San Diego
A witness recounts the shooting in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016.
Ashley Matthews/NBC 7 San Diego
Emotions ran high at the scene of the police shooting on Sept. 27, 2016.
El Cajon Police Department
The highly-publicized still image released by the El Cajon Police Department that captures the deadly encounter between officers and Olango. Police said Olango assumed a "shooting stance" after pulling some sort of vaping device out of the pocket of his pants. Protesters have demanded police release the full video from which this image was taken, saying this photograph only shows one side of the story.
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Police officers swarmed the Broadway Village Shopping Center in the 700 block of Broadway in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016.
NBC 7 San Diego
Police said officers fired on a man who was acting "erratically."
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The scene of the officer-involved shooting in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016.
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The hospital where Olango was taken after being shot and killed by police.
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Bystanders look on as police guard the scene of the officer-involved shooting in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016.
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A witness describing what he saw during the officer-involved shooting in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016.
Olango Attorney Family Handout
A personal photo of Olango, provided by the family's attorney.
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Debris at the scene of the officer-involved shooting in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016.
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The scene of the officer-involved shooting in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016.
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Crowds at the scene of the officer-involved shooting in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016 gather in prayer.
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Crowds at the scene of the officer-involved shooting in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016 gather in prayer.
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Despite nightfall, crowds remain at the scene of the shooting in El Cajon on Sept. 27, 2016.
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Protestors block an intersection in El Cajon Wednesday morning, hours after the deadly shooting of Alfred Olango.
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Mallory Webb of the NAACP's Youth & College Division talks about her fear of walking in public and her fear of violence directed at her loved ones during a rally on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016.
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Protesters came face-to-face with deputies on Broadway in El Cajon Wednesday as they marched the streets.
Rory Devine/NBC 7 San Diego
Protesters marched the streets of El Cajon on Wednesday, seeking justice for Alfred Olango, an unarmed black man shot to death by police officers.
NBC 7 San Diego
Protesters marched down Broadway to the parking lot of a taco shop in a shopping center -- the site where Alfred Olango was shot and killed by officers.
NBC 7 San Diego
Protesters made their way to a freeway underpass in El Cajon.
Olango Family Photo
Alfred Olango.
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A protester holds a "Black Lives Matter" at the location where a black man was shot and killed on Tuesday in El Cajon.
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Police in riot gear blocked the street as protesters marched down Ballantyne Street in El Cajon Wednesday night.
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Protesters marched down Ballentyne Street in El Cajon, blocking traffic in the southbound and northbound lanes.
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Protesters carrying signs reading "Black Lives Matter" chanting at the crowd during the protests in El Cajon Wednesday night.
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People headed southbound on Ballantyne Street toward Madison Avenue.
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Protesters chanted for police violence to stop as they marched down Ballantyne Street in El Cajon.
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Hundreds of people joined the protest Wednesday night in El Cajon.
NBC 7 San Diego
El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells talked about the police shooting of Alfred Olango at a news conference one day after the incident. Wells said the shooting broke his heart. He promised a thorough and transparent investigation by several agencies, including the FBI, into the police shooting.
Elena Gomez/NBC 7 San Diego
A memorial grows for Alfred Olango at the scene of where El Cajon police officers critically shot him.
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The memorial in El Cajon for Alfred Olango.
NBC 7 San Diego
Alfred Olango's mother, Pamela Benge, described her pain losing her son to the deadly police shooting at a news conference on Sept. 29, 2016.
NBC 7 San Diego
Rev. Shane Harris, president of the San Diego chapter of the National Action Network, is standing behind the Olango family, calling for action against the police shooting of Alfred Olango.
Erik Ho/ NBC 7 San Diego
The protest on Sept. 29 included between 50 and 75 demonstrators at Broadway and Mollison Avenue. Two people were arrested for unlawful assembly when the protest turned violent.
Erik Ho/ NBC 7 San Diego
Law enforcement deployed pepper spray balls into the crowd.
Erik Ho/ NBC 7 San Diego
The streets of El Cajon saw a third night of protests on Sept. 29, 2016 in response to the police shooting of Alfred Olango.
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Protests continued for a second day in El Cajon following the police shooting of Alfred Olango.
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Police in riot gear stand in the street as demonstrators continue to protest for a second day in El Cajon.
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Approximately 35 pastors of different races and denominations gathered in El Cajon on Sept. 30 to pray for peace, unity and truth in El Cajon as the community reels from the police shooting of Alfred Olango.
NBC 7 San Diego
Pastor Rolland Slade, of Meridian Baptist Church, prayed in El Cajon on Sept. 30.
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Another protester stares intently at his phone to watch the newly released police shooting video of Alfred Olango.
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A woman observing the newly released video of the police shooting with protesters in El Cajon says the police appear to have "stalked" Olango.
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A man wears a Black Lives Matter shirt as he watches the newly released video of the police shooting of Alfred Olango with other protesters.
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The community gathers around their phones to watch the newly released video that shows the moment police shot Alfred Olango.
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Protesters gather to watch the released Olango shooting video at the area where he was fatally shot by police in El Cajon.
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El Cajon Police address the shooting of Alfred Olango, as protesters watch on their phones.
Megan Tevrizian/ NBC 7 San Diego
A rally in El Cajon on Oct. 1, 2016, in response to the police shooting of Alfred Olango.
Megan Tevrizian/ NBC 7 San Diego
A rally in El Cajon on Oct. 1, 2016.
Megan Tevrizian/ NBC 7 San Diego
A rally in El Cajon on Oct. 1, 2016.
Liberty Zabala/NBC 7 San Diego
Some El Cajon businesses remained closed over the weekend in light of protests following the police shooting of Alfred Olango.
Liberty Zabala/NBC 7 San Diego
Some El Cajon businesses remained closed over the weekend in light of protests following the police shooting of Alfred Olango.
Calvin Pearce/NBC 7 San Diego
#NotOneMore, a banner held by protesters read as they marched the streets of El Cajon on Oct. 1, 2016.
Liberty Zabala/NBC 7 San Diego
Protesters march from a vigil service on Main Street in El Cajon to the El Cajon Police Department headquarters on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016.
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A sign that reads "#NotOneMore" seen at a prayer vigil on Oct. 1, 2016 for Alfred Olango, the man shot and killed by El Cajon police on Sept. 27, 2016.
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A sign that reads "Unarmed Civilian" seen at a prayer vigil on Oct. 1, 2016 for Alfred Olango, the man shot and killed by El Cajon police on Sept. 27, 2016.
NBC 7 San Diego
A sign that reads "White Silence = Violence" seen at a prayer vigil on Oct. 1, 2016 for Alfred Olango, the man shot and killed by El Cajon police on Sept. 27, 2016.
Calvin Pearce/NBC 7 San Diego
"What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!" chanted protesters as they marched for Alfred Olango in El Cajon on Oct. 1, 2016.
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Protesters march through the streets of El Cajon four days after Alfred Olango was shot and killed by El Cajon police on Sept. 27, 2016
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Police stand by as protesters march through El Cajon four days after Alfred Olango was shot and killed by El Cajon police on Sept. 27, 2016
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Protesters march through the streets of El Cajon four days after Alfred Olango was shot and killed by El Cajon police on Sept. 27, 2016
NBC 7 San Diego
Protesters marched from San Diego Police central headquarters to the San Diego Convention Center on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016.
A group gathers in prayer with police officers before walking in the Black and Blue March from downtown police headquarters to the San Diego Convention Center on Oct. 1,2016
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Hundreds of demonstrators marched to the Hall of Justice Saturday afternoon to protest Olango's shooting.
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Hundreds of demonstrators marched to the Hall of Justice Saturday afternoon to protest Olango's shooting.
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Hundreds of demonstrators marched to the Hall of Justice Saturday afternoon to protest Olango's shooting.
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Hundreds of demonstrators marched to the Hall of Justice Saturday afternoon to protest Olango's shooting.
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Hundreds of demonstrators marched to the Hall of Justice Saturday afternoon to protest Olango's shooting.
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Hundreds of demonstrators marched to the Hall of Justice Saturday afternoon to protest Olango's shooting.

The officer deployed his Taser to try and subdue the subject, Davis said, though it is unclear whether the Taser struck the man. Davis said that aspect of the incident is under investigation. At the same time, the other officer fired his weapon. It is unclear how many shots were fired. 

A Facebook live video shows the aftermath of an officer-involved shooting in El Cajon. A witness shares what she saw with officers at the scene.

Davis said there was also no indication that Olango was suffering an epileptic seizure during the encounter. Officers gave initial first aid to Olango before paramedics arrived and the man was then transported to an area hospital. 

Shortly after the shooting, a witness came forward and told officers she had video footage of the incident, Davis said. The witness “voluntarily provided” the cell phone video to the department and gave written consent for officers to use it.

“This was the only cell phone video provided to the officers and no cell phones were taken from anybody,” Davis said. He added that video from the scene coincides with the officers’ statements.

Officers with the El Cajon Police Department are not currently outfitted with body-worn cameras.

NBC 7’s Ashley Matthews is at the scene where a crowd has formed in prayer, sending a message of peace.

Following the incident, witnesses questioned the police motives in the shooting. Crowds gathering by the scene of the shooting began chanting, demanding answers from police. 

The protest was angry but peaceful. Several dozen people, most of them black, gathered and some cursed at officers guarding the scene, The Associated Press reported. They chanted "black lives matter!" and "hands up, don't shoot!" 

Davis urged the community to remain calm and said the investigation will be thorough. 

"This will be transparent," he said. "This will be looked at by multiple sets of eyes, and not just ours." 

The district attorney was on scene and also will investigate.

During the press conference, Davis also urged the community to cooperate with the investigation and come forward if they have any information.

"I would like to convey my sincerest appreciation to the community of El Cajon for the strength that they have shown in light of this tragic event," he said.

The woman they believe may be Olango's sister on scene has not cooperated with investigators, Davis said.

NBC 7’s Mari Payton has more on video footage taken at the scene.

“As you can understand, she was upset; she was not cooperating with us,” Davis said. “We can’t even confirm that it was his sister.”

That woman is believed to have called the police to report the initial incident early Tuesday afternoon, Davis said. He added it took officers at least 50 minutes to arrive on scene after the first call.

El Cajon police are asking for the woman come forward, as she may have information they are looking for.

Davis said that the two officers involved in the shooting, who have not been identified, both have more than 21 years of service as police officers.

Both officers have been placed on administration leave.

The entire shooting was captured on cell phone video, but the video will not be released yet as it is part of an ongoing investigation, Davis said. The video will be released in full at a later date, he said. 

Meantime, other videos quickly surfaced showing the aftermath, according to the AP. In one posted to Facebook, an unidentified woman is heard telling police at the scene that the man was ordered to take his hand out of his pocket.

"I said: 'Take your hand out your pocket, baby, or they're going to shoot you.' He said 'no, no, no,' " the woman said. "When he lifted his hand out ... he did have something in his hand but it wasn't no gun, and that's when they shot him."

Lucy Peterson, who was wearing hospital-style work clothing, said she's Olango's sister. She appeared distraught, repeatedly shrieking and crying, telling officers that she had called them to help her brother, who she described as mentally ill.

"I just called for help, and you came and killed him," she said.

Olango was born in Uganda and emigrated to the U.S. in 1991 when he was 12 years old, NBC 7 has learned.

Michael Ray Rodriguez was among the witnesses who said the man had his hands in the air. He said that he was driving out of his apartment complex past the shooting scene and saw a shirtless black man with his hands raised.

The officer "let go of the trigger and shot him again and again," Rodriguez told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

NBC 7 speaks to the spokesperson for the El Cajon Police Department following an officer-involved shooting near a Mexican restaurant on Broadway.

The shooting in the community east of San Diego occurred just three days after police in Charlotte, North Carolina, released video showing the Sept. 20 killing of Keith Lamont Scott. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a police officer shot and killed 40-year-old Terence Crutcher on a highway six days after the Charlotte shooting. In that case, Officer Betty Shelby, has been charged with manslaughter.

Both shootings have reignited protests questioning the actions of law enforcement officers in cases where encounters ended with African Americans being fatally shot.

El Cajon City council members approved the purchase of 88 body cameras this past May, but Davis said he was hoping to have the cameras in use by the start of 2017.

Pastor Miles McPherson of Rock Church followed Davis in the press conference and urged members in the community to pray, and to remain peaceful while the facts continue to unfold.
“We want the truth to come out and the right things to happen, no matter what that means, and we want God to be honored in the process,” Rock Church Pastor Miles McPherson said.

El Cajon, which is about 15 miles northeast of San Diego, has a population of about 100,000. It is 69 percent white and 6 percent black, according to 2010 census figures, and has become a home for many refugees fleeing Iraq and, more recently, Syria.

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