shyt happened in El Cajon...the suburb I grew up in...shyt hits home brehsPolice Shoot 'Erratic' Black Man in El Cajon Parking Lot: PD
Encounter With 'Erratic' African-American Man Ends With Officer-Involved Shooting in El Cajon: PD
The shooting sparked uproar in the community, prompting many to gather at the scene and demand answers.
By Samantha Tatro
An African-American man shot in an encounter with El Cajon Police was treated in a parking lot while a woman identified as his sister wailed nearby, demanding to know why police shot the man she had called them to help.
Dozens of officers swarmed the Broadway Village Shopping Center Tuesday at approximately 1 p.m. at Broadway and North Mollison, El Cajon Police said. The location is just north of Interstate 8 and west of State Route 67.
Video Shows Family Reaction on Scene of El Cajon Shooting
Almost three hours later, police officers told NBC 7 San Diego the man was acting erratically and failed to comply, while witnesses questioned the police motives in the shooting. Crowds gathering by the scene of the shooting began chanting, demanding answers from police.
Officers quickly secured the parking lot near the shooting. One witness at a local restaurant told NBC 7 police came and confiscated their cell phones following the incident; another witness recalled hearing an officer fire three or four rounds.
Officers Shoot "Erratic" Man Outside of El Cajon Restaurant
"I didn’t hear any command ‘Halt’, ‘Stop’ or ‘I’ll shoot,’" said George, a witness. "I didn’t hear any command or yelling. I didn’t hear the man say anything. Next thing I see ‘Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow’ – five shots.”
El Cajon Police spokesman Rob Ransweiler said police responded to a radio call of a 30-year-old "erratic subject."
Man Acting 'Erratically' Shot in El Cajon: Police
Ransweiler said, the man did not comply. When asked by NBC 7 if the man involved was armed, Ransweiler said, "I have the information, I’m just not…It’s an ongoing investigation, so I’m not releasing details of the investigation.”
One video posted to FB shows a woman, identified as the suspect's sister, crying. In the video, she’s heard saying: “I called you to help me but you killed my brother.”
“Why couldn’t you guys tase him? Why why why why?” the woman is heard saying.
In the video, police approach the woman for questioning.
“I called so many times to help him,” she says, as officers ask the woman for her brother’s name and age.
Other passersby tried to comfort the woman.
Michael Ray Rodriguez witnessed the shooting as it unfolded right in front of him.
“When I seen the suspect, he had his hands up,” Rodriguez said holding his arms out to the side. "I seen two officers with their firearm on him."
"The man’s hands are up. No shirt," he added. "He didn’t have no shirt."
The suspect's sister said she was encouraging her brother to do what police were telling him to do; she indicated to NBC 7 that her brother was not showing his hands.
While the suspect stood in that position, another police officer came and blocked the suspect in three directions, Rodriguez said. He said he witnessed the suspect run to the right, and as he did so, he saw the officer fire five shots, knocking the suspect to the ground.
The man was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital. His condition is unknown.
The entire shooting was captured on mobile phone video from the drive-through at the Los Panchos restaurant. NBC 7's Dave Summers said an El Cajon lieutenant told him the restaurant worker voluntarily turned over the phone. The video at some point in this investigation will be released, the lieutenant told Summers.
Source: Police Shoot 'Erratic' Black Man in El Cajon Parking Lot: PD
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