The mother of 38-year-old El Cajon, California man Alfred Olango spoke about the death of her son in a Sept. 29 press conference.
On Sept. 27, El Cajon Police responded to a call claiming a man was acting erratically in a parking lot prior to the fatal police shooting.
According to an Atlanta Black Star report, Olango’s sister called 911 asking for assistance because he was reportedly darting in and out of traffic around 2:30 p.m. Initial reports state that Olango was pointing an object at officers on scene and was also in a shooting stance when police encountered him. However, the Associated Press reported that the object was a vaping device.
In the news conference above, Olango’s mother Pamela Benge talks about her son’s journey to the U.S. from war-torn Uganda.
“We have come from a war zone,” Benge tells the press. “We wanted protection. That’s why we’re here … I thought a lovely nice country like this would protect us. We just need protection, that’s all.”
The grieving woman adds that she came here to seek refuge, but now that her son was murdered by police there is no refuge for her. Benge insists that he had no weapon and that he should be alive to enjoy his daughter and life.
“There is nothing as painful. It is so much that you cannot swallow it. You try to swallow it, but the pain [outweighs] you. It is so bitter.”
