Officer who fatally shot unarmed man in El Cajon will not be charged

 

EL CAJON, Calif. (KABC) --

A police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man in El Cajon last year will not be charged in the case, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Alfred Olango, 38, was shot and killed in September 2016 after police responded to calls of a man acting erratically and running into traffic. Initial reports had indicated that Olango may have been mentally ill, but his family later said that was not true.

San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Durmanis said Tuesday that the officer's actions were justified because he feared for his life.

Olango's sister had called 911 for help after she said her brother began acting strange. The family's attorney Rodney Diggs said police took an hour to respond and shot Olango within a minute of dealing with him.

Several hours after the shooting, authorities released a photo from the video that shows Olango holding an object in a shooting stance and facing the officer that eventually shot him. The object was later identified as an e-cigarette.

Olango had a criminal history, and according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, the department tried to deport him twice, but Uganda refused to take him.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.