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Police release body cam footage in deadly shooting of allegedly armed man in Oakland
Oakland police on Wednesday released body camera footage of a July confrontation with an allegedly armed man near the Fruitvale District that ended with officers opening fire and killing the suspect.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland police on Wednesday released body camera footage of a July confrontation with an allegedly armed man near the Fruitvale District that ended with officers opening fire and killing the suspect.
What the video shows
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The Oakland Police Department released video from two officers’ body cameras depicting events leading up to the fatal July 13 shooting. The videos depict several officers arriving at the scene around a homeless encampment near 40th Avenue and International Boulevard where they found Jose Angel Castillo, 43, carrying what authorities alleged to be two makeshift spears.
In the video, officers repeatedly ordered Castillo to drop the weapons, but he refused and can be heard insisting he "was doing nothing" as he walked down the street away from police.
The officers followed him, repeating their orders as Castillo walked into a parking lot.
At one point, Castillo turns to face the police, and several of the officers can be heard using their tasers on the man.
However, Castillo still refused to surrender to authorities, and the video depicts the man appearing to take one of the weapons in hand and move threateningly toward the officers.
Two of the officers opened fire on Castillo, and the video depicts him falling to the ground and becoming unresponsive as police moved to place him in handcuffs.
Castillo died at the scene.
No one else was injured in the shooting.
What's next:
The two officers who fired their weapons were placed on administrative leave following the shooting, in accordance with department policy.
Civil rights attorney Jim Chanin, who monitors Oakland police, said he's concerned by some aspects of the shooting.
"Did it justify deadly force? There are lots of people who are threats, the question is, does it – what kind of force is justified?" he said.
The Anti Police-Terror Project, a social justice coalition, issued a statement following the fatal shooting. They said they want to know why CHP pursuits are still happening in Oakland's neighborhoods and if police can justify deadly force when the public has not been told the person who was killed pointed or fired a weapon at officers.
The Source: Oakland Police Department body camera footage, previous KTVU reporting