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District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said Tuesday there will be no charges against El Cajon, California, police officer Richard Gonsalves who fatally shot unarmed Alfred Olango, 38, four times last year, reports The San Diego Union Tribune.

From The Tribune:

“The law recognizes police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions in circumstances that are tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving,” Dumanis said during a news conference at the downtown Hall of Justice. “As prosecutors we have an ethical duty to follow the law and only charge individuals when we have proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The only reasonable conclusion was the officer’s actions were justified.”

The announcement by Dumanis elicited a swift condemnation from Olango’s family, friends and supporters, who promised to continue to fight for justice and have the officer’s deadly use of force independently investigated. “War has been declared on humanity and the battle line has been drawn,” Olango’s father, Richard Olango Abuka, told reporters at a news conference at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Southcrest.

Dumanis’ announcement that the shooting was justified comes more than three months after Olango was shot during an altercation in the parking lot behind a taco shop in a strip mall [on Sept. 27,] which thrust San Diego County into an ongoing national conversation about the relationship between police agencies and communities of color. 

With Dumanis calling Gonsalves’ actions “justified,” the Rev. Shane Harris of the National Action Network called for a special prosecutor to investigate Olango’s death, reports USA Today.

SOURCE: The San Diego Union TribuneUSA Today

SEE ALSO:

Alfred Olango’s Father Launches Police Reform Foundation

Alfred Olango Suffered From ‘Mental Breakdown’ During Fatal Police Shooting, His Family Claims

 

California Officer Will Not Face Charges In Alfred Olango Fatal Shooting  was originally published on newsone.com