Cellphone Video Key Evidence in Officer-Involved Shooting in El Cajon: PD

A police shooting in California resulted in the death of an African-American man Tuesday and video shot by a nearby drive-through clerk holds key evidence to what led to the confrontation, authorities said.

The man, now identified as Alfred Olango, was shot in an encounter with police near the Los Panchos restaurant in El Cajon Tuesday at approximately 1 p.m. The shooting happened on the 700 block of Broadway at North Mollison Avenue, El Cajon Police said. The location is just north of Interstate 8 and west of State Route 67.

Maria, an employee at the restaurant told NBC 7 that police came into the restaurant after the shooting. Officers took away one employee’s phone and told the crew they could not talk to anyone.

She said one of her coworkers had captured video of the entire shooting incident from the drive-through of the restaurant. The video apparently showed Olango shirtless, with his hands by his waistband and refusing to comply with the officers.

El Cajon Police verified that the video shows the entire incident but only one cell phone was turned over to authorities. They said the employee also voluntarily turned over the cell phone containing the video.

However, according to Maria, all of the cellphones were taken away by police, not voluntarily turned over.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of San Diego and Imperial Counties, confiscating cell phones violates the First and Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.

In a statement, the ACLU said: “The public has the right to film police in public places, and police officers may not confiscate or demand to view your digital photos or video without a warrant. Under no circumstances may police officers delete your photos or videos.”

A spokesperson for the El Cajon Police Department said the San Diego District Attorney’s office will be investigating the shooting and will decide when to release the video.

Los Panchos was placed under lock down for some time with several customers and employees inside.

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