EL CAJON, Calif. – The San Diego County District Attorney's Office has released two videos Friday afternoon that shows the moment at which an unarmed black man was shot and killed by two El Cajon police officers.
One of the videos of the shooting was taken from security footage at a nearby fast food restaurant, the other was obtained from the cell phone of an eyewitness.
Alfred Olango, 38, was mortally wounded by the two officers while outside a strip mall restaurant near the intersection of Interstate 8 and state Route 67.
One witness told reporters Olango had his hands raised when shots rang out, and another indicated he may have suffered a seizure. However, police said Olango was uncooperative, had repeatedly refused to remove his hand from his pocket, assumed "what appeared to be a shooting stance," and pointed an object that turned out to be an electronic smoking device at one of the officers.
In a poll conducted prior to the release of the video, 45 percent of those surveyed thought the shooting was justified, 34 percent believed it was unjustified and 20 percent were unsure.
On Wednesday, El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells acknowledged that not releasing the entire video immediately had fueled protestors' suspicions about what led up to the use of lethal force, but said the image tells the story.
"I've seen the video," Wells said. "I think that once the video is released people are going to be very understanding of what's happening. I don't think there's going to be a lot of shock or new revelation."