Alfred Olango
Birth date:
July 17, 1978
Death date:
September 27, 2016
Age at Death:
38
About
Mr. Olango arrived in the U.S. as a refugee from Uganda in 1991. He was born in Kampala, Uganda in 1978. Mr. Olango first came to New York with his mother and eight siblings as refugees in 1991. He married in 2001, having one child with his wife at the time. He worked at Toro manufacturing and McDonald's, and he hoped to one day open his own restaurant.
Mr. Olango, a 38-year old former refugee from Uganda, was shot several times by police responding to a call for emergency psychiatric aid. He died later that day in a hospital. Officers on scene claimed to have believed Olango was pointing a firearm; the object in his hand was an e-cigarette. The shooting sparked days of protests in El Cajon and around San Diego County.
San Diego County prosecutors declined to file charges against two officers involved in the shooting. The ACLU has criticized the El Cajon Police Department's partial release of video evidence. Notable that days before the incident, one of Olango's longtime childhood friends died. On the day of the incident, Mr. Olango's sister noticed strange behavior from him and called police three times asking for immediate help. An involuntary psychiatric hold request for a psychiatric emergency response team (PERT) was placed. Fifty minutes after the first call, at least two non PERT officers arrived on scene. One officer fired his handgun four times at Mr. Olango, and the second officer fired his taser.
Was justice served?
No. On January 2017, San Diego County District's Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced that no criminal charges would be filed against the two officers, this case shows that a psychiatric unit was requested to engage with Mr. Olango. Unclear why officers, not the PERT team, were engaged. Note: U.S. authorities tried twice to deport Mr. Olango, but his native Uganda refused to take him. U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement told the Associated Press Mr. Olango stopped reporting to officers in February of 2015.