A San Diego prosecutor has ruled the shooting death of Alfred Olango in El Cajon, California, last year constituted a reasonable use of force, and the officer who shot him won’t be charged.
Olango, a black man, was mentally unstable at the time of the shooting, according to The Associated Press.
Prosecutor Bonnie Dumanis said she believed the officer had reason to believe he was in danger when Olango suddenly raised both of his hands, took a shooting stance, and pointed something at the officer, which turned out to be an e-cigarette device. Olango, a Uganda native, apparently had a breakdown after the death of a close friend.
“After carefully reviewing the facts, the evidence, and the law, we’ve determined the officer’s use of deadly force was reasonable under the circumstances and he bears no criminal liability for his actions,” Dumanis said in a news conference, according to Reuters.
The incident in September led to protests, and relatives filed wrongful death claims with the city.
Olango's family members and civil rights activists were unhappy with the decision not to charge the officer. The Rev. Shane Harris of the National Action Network called the decision a “slap in the face,” the AP reported.
Members of the El Cajon Police Department specially trained to deal with the mentally ill were not dispatched to the scene because they were not available at the time, according to the AP. Olango’s sister, who had called 911 when he exhibited erratic behavior in the parking lot of a taco shop, told dispatchers that Olango was mentally unstable and asked that he be taken to a mental health facility.
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