The San Diego Police Department released footage and emergency call audio Wednesday from a deadly police shooting last week in the Mountain View neighborhood.
SDPD Officer Isai Castillo shot Alfredo Castro-Gutierrez, 39, on South Pardee Street on Oct. 19 after he allegedly charged at officers with a metal curtain rod. Police were originally called to the home for reports of vandalism, and the call was elevated to a report of a violent disturbance inside the home, according to SDPD.
Evidence made public by the department includes recordings of the shooting from three officer-worn cameras, footage from two home surveillance cameras, and a recording of two 911 calls made by a woman who lived at the home and a neighbor.
Warning: The following video contains graphic imagery and language
Callers told police dispatchers that Castro-Gutierrez was smashing windows and objects inside the home with a metal curtain rod and described his behavior as "paranoid," according to SDPD. Investigators said he was staying at the home as a guest.
In a 911 call recording provided by SDPD, a woman told dispatchers she was outside the home but her teenage daughter was inside, in a locked room, while Castro-Gutierrez was elsewhere in the home. The mother told dispacthers she thought the man might be on drugs.
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As she spoke with the dispatchers, someone could be heard in the background screaming.
A neighbor who also called 911 reported hearing someone yelling for help. In a recording of that call, the neighbor described the yelling as "like someone is being tortured."
When officers arrived, they met away from the home to conduct a plan, then slowly approached the front gate of the property, according to SDPD. Moments later, Castro-Gutierrez ran through the front gate wielding a curtain rod and charged at officers.
Body-camera footage released by SDPD shows the vantage point of three officers; Officer Castillo, who fired his service weapon at Castro-Gutierrez, a second officer who fired a bean bag round, and a third who fired their taser.
In each clip, officers can be heard giving Castro-Gutierrez commands in English and Spanish as they walked toward the home. The sound of screaming and shattering glass can also be heard.
Just a few seconds after Castro-Gutierrez is first seen, he races from the front porch through the gate and toward officers. Then what sounded like three shots were fired.
Officers swarmed Castro-Gutierrez, handcuffed him and started giving him first aid. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and was pronounced dead a short time later, SDPD said.
SDPD's Homicide Unit is investigating the incident and will forward its findings to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI, the department said.
The community Review Board on Police Practices will also review the incident, according to SDPD.
The Mexican Consulate in San Diego said last week the Mexican Foreign Affairs Ministry will determine if the consulate needs to take legal or diplomatic action on behalf Castro-Gutierrez, a Mexican citizen, after receiving information from SDPD.
"The Government of Mexico, through the Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego, is promptly monitoring the situation and has asked local authorities for a transparent, impartial and expeditious investigation to clarify the facts and establish responsibilities," the consulate said, in part, in a statement released Friday.
The Mexican consulate said they were working with the man's family to provide any legal support they may need.
Officer Castillo is a two-year veteran of the department's Southeastern Division.
SDPD investigators did not say if Castro-Gutierrez had a history of violence or mental illness.
