Oakland police released bodycam footage Wednesday of two officers fatally shooting a spear-wielding man.
The July 13 confrontation ended with the death of Jose Angel Castillo, 43, near a homeless encampment at 40th Avenue and International Boulevard in Oakland, California. The Oakland Police Department made the video public this week.
Officers repeatedly ordered Castillo to drop his makeshift weapons.
He refused.
Castillo walked away from police while insisting he “was doing nothing.”
The officers pursued him into a parking lot, continuing to bark commands.
Then Castillo turned around.
Several officers deployed their Tasers.
Castillo still did not surrender.
He appeared to grab one of the officer’s weapons and move toward them.
Two cops opened fire.
Castillo fell to the ground.
He died at the scene.
The two officers who fired their weapons were placed on administrative leave, as required by department policy.
Civil rights attorney Jim Chanin, who monitors the Oakland Police Department, raised questions about the shooting’s justification.
“Did it justify deadly force?” He asked KUTV.
“There are lots of people who are threats, the question is, does it – what kind of force is justified?” Chanin continued.
The department has now had two fatal shootings out of three total incidents this year.
By this date last year, there had been only one fatal shooting.
In the viral moment captured on bodycam, Castillo can be seen holding two makeshift spears as officers approach him. The footage shows the tense standoff escalating over several minutes. Police commands grow more urgent as Castillo retreats toward the parking lot. The Tasers fail to stop him. He lunges toward an officer before the gunfire erupts.
The Oakland Police Department has not announced when the administrative review of the shooting will be completed.