Calif. officer guns down man in ‘shooting stance’

Associated Press

EL CAJON, CALIF.

Police say it was a 4-inch-long electronic smoking device that a black man pointed at a Southern California police officer who shot and killed him.

El Cajon police said Wednesday night that they recovered the vaping device consisting of a cylinder and a box that 38-year-old Alfred Olango was holding when he was shot Tuesday.

Police Chief Jeff Davis says Olango pulled the device from his pocket, held it with both hands and took a “shooting stance” toward one of the two officers who were there.

Police said Olango had refused to comply with instructions to remove a hand from his pants pocket and paced back and forth before rapidly drawing an object from the pocket.

One of the officers attempted to shock him with a stun gun, and the other shot and killed him.

Some protesters said he was shot while his hands were raised in the air, though police disputed that and produced a single frame from the cellphone video to back their account.

Attorney Dan Gilleon said Wednesday that Olango, who was unarmed, was having an emotional breakdown over the recent death of his best friend.

Court records show Olango had several brushes with the law in California and Colorado.