Alfred Olango was shot and killed by a cop in El Cajon, California in September. Now, his father is launching a new foundation to help bring about police reform.
Richard Olango announced the formation of the "Alfred Olango Unity and Justice Foundation" on Saturday in San Diego where he said the city will serve as the headquarters for the organization, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Olango delivered the news at an event hosted in honor of the International Day of Remembrance for Victims of Police Brutality. According to the Union-Tribune, Olango said he plans to help improve police training by focusing on areas relating to psychology, human behavior, criminal justice and discipline.
“These are the foundation of police training,” he said, according to the paper. “If you don’t pass these, you go back to police college.”
Alfred Olango, who was mentally ill according to court records, was shot and killed by El Cajon police officer Richard Gonsalves on Sept. 27 as another officer simultaneously deployed his Taser. Police said Alfred withdrew an object from his pocket and took aim at them in a “shooting stance.” However, it was later discovered that Olango was reaching for his silver vape smoking device. Brief video footage of the encounter was later released.
“Police are supposed to use a gun as a last resort,” Richard Olango said, according to the Union-Tribune. “From the time police arrived to the time my son was dead was one minute and 29 seconds.”
Alfred’s brother Joeffrey Olango previously described Alfred, who was a father of two, as a man who dreamed about opening up a family restaurant.
“He had a lion’s heart. He loved too much,” Joeffrey previously said in an interview with KTAV radio in San Diego. “That came from the way he grew up, seeing all the things we saw as kids, knowing how brutal life can be and wanting to actually sustain the best possible quality of life.”
Before You Go
