SAN DIEGO (CN) — Police in El Cajon, California, have finally revealed what Alfred Olango was holding when officers shot and killed him Tuesday: an e-cigarette.
The news came ahead of a vigil that turned into more of a protest Wednesday night, as hundreds of residents came out to mourn the death of the 38-year-old.
Olango was shot shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday by Officer Richard Gonsalves while another officer simultaneously used a Taser. Olango's sister had called 911 three times in the hour preceding the shooting and told dispatchers her brother was "not acting like himself" and was having some type of mental health emergency.
Initial media reports said Olango had suffered a seizure, but that has not been confirmed by the police or his family.
El Cajon police said that when officers arrived, Olango was pacing with his hands in his pockets and he did not listen to their "directives." Olango then "rapidly pulled an object" from his waistband and pointed it at an officer while in a "shooting stance."
That object turned out to be a silver, 3-inch vape smoking pen, the department said.
The Associated Press reported Olango was shot by Gonsalves within a minute of his arrival on the scene, information police have not yet made public.
That Olango was unarmed when he pointed a shiny metal object at police who shot and killed him is a story San Diegans are already familiar with.
San Diego Police Officer Neal Browder shot and killed another mentally ill man, Fridoon Nehad, in the city's Midway District in April 2015. Nehad held a shiny object in his hand when officers shot him. That shiny object turned out to be a pen, and Nehad's family is now suing Browder, the city and San Diego Police Department.
The El Cajon Police Department's updated press release came after community members called for transparency Wednesday and El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells vowed to give the public information as he receives it. Wells also revealed the police department did not plan to host another press conference on the shooting for several days.
The department also addressed questions about why it did not send a member of its Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, which includes licensed clinicians who partner with officers on calls for mental health emergencies. The department said their PERT clinician was on another police call and "was not immediately available." The mayor said all El Cajon police are trained on how to handle mental health crises, but said all officers may not have uniform training on how to handle those situations.
El Cajon's City Council recently approved the purchase of body-worn cameras for its police force, but officers have yet to be outfitted with the devices.
Police have refused to release a cellphone video of the shooting, citing a new countywide policy which allows the District Attorney to hold video that may be used as evidence in a criminal trial. The department opted instead to release a single still frame which appears to show a black man pointing his hands at a police officer.