Police officers in El Cajon, a city near San Diego, shot and killed an unarmed black man, prompting crowds to gather at the scene and authorities to call for calm, less than two weeks after similar incidents in two other U.S. cities.
In Tuesday afternoon's incident in El Cajon, two officers responded to calls that an African-American man in his 30s was walking in traffic and "not acting like himself," El Cajon police said.
Days earlier, in Charlotte, North Carolina and in Tulsa, Oklahoma, police and shot and killed black men, igniting protests against racial bias in U.S. policing and demands for greater accountability for officers.
In Charlotte, rioting prompted the authorities to impose a state of emergency and curfew.
Officers found the man behind a restaurant at about 2 p.m. PDT (2100 GMT) and ordered him to remove his hand from his pocket, police said. After he refused, one officer drew a firearm and the other readied a Taser device, police said.
The man paced back and forth as the officers tried to talk to him with their weapons pointed at him, police said.
Moments later, he pulled an object from his front pants pocket, placed both hands together and extended them toward an officer in "what appeared to be a shooting stance," police said
The officers then simultaneously shot and used the Taser on the man, who died after being taken to the hospital, police said. Officials have not identified him.
No weapon was found at the scene, El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis told a news conference hours after the shooting. He did not said what the man was pointing. The officers were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in such incidents.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSKCN11Y0SV
UPDATE:
http://www.theroot.com/articles/news...lice-shooting/
Updated Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2:17 a.m. EDT: According to activists on the ground in El Cajon, the police department informed media that it was aware its officers were responding to a “5150” call when Olango was killed. The name of the police officer who killed Olango has not been released.
A “5150” call is defined as:
When a person, as a result of a mental disorder, is a danger to himself/herself or others or is gravely disabled, a peace officer, a member of the attending staff, or another professional person designated by the county may with probable cause take the person into custody and place him or her in a facility for a 72-hour treatment and evaluation.
This information appears to be confirmed by police scanner audio shared by United Against Police Terror—San Diego Copwatch & Campaign for Justice. Calls to the El Cajon Police Department to confirm the authenticity of the audio have not been returned.
Thanx to Moltisanti for the update.
Shoot me I'm black and mental ill if old.
In Tuesday afternoon's incident in El Cajon, two officers responded to calls that an African-American man in his 30s was walking in traffic and "not acting like himself," El Cajon police said.
Days earlier, in Charlotte, North Carolina and in Tulsa, Oklahoma, police and shot and killed black men, igniting protests against racial bias in U.S. policing and demands for greater accountability for officers.
In Charlotte, rioting prompted the authorities to impose a state of emergency and curfew.
Officers found the man behind a restaurant at about 2 p.m. PDT (2100 GMT) and ordered him to remove his hand from his pocket, police said. After he refused, one officer drew a firearm and the other readied a Taser device, police said.
The man paced back and forth as the officers tried to talk to him with their weapons pointed at him, police said.
Moments later, he pulled an object from his front pants pocket, placed both hands together and extended them toward an officer in "what appeared to be a shooting stance," police said
The officers then simultaneously shot and used the Taser on the man, who died after being taken to the hospital, police said. Officials have not identified him.
No weapon was found at the scene, El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis told a news conference hours after the shooting. He did not said what the man was pointing. The officers were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in such incidents.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSKCN11Y0SV
UPDATE:
http://www.theroot.com/articles/news...lice-shooting/
Updated Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2:17 a.m. EDT: According to activists on the ground in El Cajon, the police department informed media that it was aware its officers were responding to a “5150” call when Olango was killed. The name of the police officer who killed Olango has not been released.
A “5150” call is defined as:
When a person, as a result of a mental disorder, is a danger to himself/herself or others or is gravely disabled, a peace officer, a member of the attending staff, or another professional person designated by the county may with probable cause take the person into custody and place him or her in a facility for a 72-hour treatment and evaluation.
This information appears to be confirmed by police scanner audio shared by United Against Police Terror—San Diego Copwatch & Campaign for Justice. Calls to the El Cajon Police Department to confirm the authenticity of the audio have not been returned.
Thanx to Moltisanti for the update.
Shoot me I'm black and mental ill if old.
