Police shot and killed a black man Tuesday in El Cajon after they say he pulled something out of his pocket and pointed it at officers in a “shooting stance.”
One of the officers attempted to use a stun gun on the man, who has not been identified, before another officer fired in the man several times, according to ABC 7.
Police Chief Jeff Davis said in a press conference on Tuesday night that a video taken by a woman at the scene showed the incident, but the department did not release the video – only a still shot (seen above) – and did not identify what object the man pulled from his pocket.
About 30 protestors gathered at the shooting scene shortly after the incident – with many chanting “black lives matter” and “hands up, don’t shoot.” As the day turned to night, the number of protestors grew to about 100 people.
People chanting "Black Lives Matter" over "All Lives Matter" #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/WDhAfThqY7
— Ashley Matthews (@ashleyNBC7) September 28, 2016
Officers were originally called to the scene after reports of a man acting “erratically” and walking into traffic.
The man, who is about 30 years old, was taken to a hospital where he died.
Friends of the man’s family told the San Diego Union Tribune the man suffered from a “mental illness.”
A Facebook Live stream, posted by Rumbie Mubaiwa, shows a woman wearing what looks like hospital scrubs crying as she claims she had called for help only to see police shoot her brother.
“I just called for help, and you came and killed him,” she says. “Why couldn’t you guys tase him? Why, why, why, why? I told you he was sick.”
Michael Ray Rodriguez, who was leaving his apartment at the time of the shooting said he saw a shirtless black man with his hands up in the air when police fired.
The police officer said “let go of the trigger and shot him again and again,” Rodriguez told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Another witness told NBC 7’s Ashley Matthews, that the man had his arms out while facing police.
“He’s jerking, he’s confused, he runs this way, and as soon as he runs this way, they discharge,” the man says. “Boom, boom, boom.”
https://twitter.com/ashleyNBC7/status/780898134410956800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The El Cajon Police Department disputed those claims on Twitter:
The investigation just started, but based on the video voluntarily provided by a witness, the subject did NOT have his hands up in the air
— El Cajon Police (@elcajonpolice) September 28, 2016
