SAN DIEGO -- The attorney representing the sister of Alfred Olango, the man who was shot and killed last month by an El Cajon police officer, has filed a claim against the city of El Cajon on Thursday.
10News reporter Michael Chen has learned that Dan Gilleon, Lucy Olango's attorney, filed a claim stating that the city was negligent in training and supervising Officer Richard Gonsalves, the cop who fatally shot Olango.
Lucy called 911 on September 27 seeking help for her brother who was reportedly acting erratically and walking into traffic on Broadway in El Cajon.
Police later stated in a press conference that law enforcement officers took 50 minutes to arrive on scene and about one minute once they made contact with Olango for Gonsalves to shoot him four times.
The claim states:
- "Before arriving on the scene, [Gonsalves] knew [Olango] was having a mental crisis," because dispatch had coded the call as "5150" a code that allows law enforcement officers to detain a person with "a mental health disorder."
- "[Gonsalves] also knew of should have known that Lucy was present and could assist in [Olango's] safe detention."
- "Worse, at the time [Gonsalves] was dispatched to the scene, [El Cajon Police Department] knew or should have known that he lacked the emotional and mental fitness" required by law.
- "[Gonsalves] acted negligently in both his pre-shooting tactical conduct and decisions... not to wait for [Psychiatric Emergency Response Team], not to use non-lethal alternatives, and to instead confront and provoke [Olango], as well as his decision to shoot an unarmed man... As a result, [Lucy] suffered serious emotional distress, and economic damages for medical expenses and lost wages."
El Cajon Police Department knew about Gonsalves' "substance abuse and emotional problems," the claim alleges. It mentions allegations made against the law enforcement officer last year by a lesbian colleague who said he sexually harassed her.
Gonsalves allegedly repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances toward Christine Greer, which included texting her a photo of his penis and on another occasion texting that he was drunk and wanted to have three-way sex with Greer and her wife.
This story will be updated as more details become available.
