Oakland police on Wednesday released bodycam footage of a July 13 confrontation that resulted in the fatal shooting of a 43-year-old man identified as Jose Angel Castillo. Authorities stated Castillo was armed with a pair of makeshift spears during the incident, which occurred near a homeless encampment at 40th Avenue and International Boulevard.
The newly released critical incident video shows officers repeatedly ordering Castillo to drop his weapons. Castillo refused, responding that he was "doing nothing" and continued to move away from the officers.
The standoff escalated when Castillo entered a parking lot, and officers continued to issue commands. Tasers were deployed, but Castillo did not surrender. According to reports, Castillo then appeared to grab one of the officer's weapons and move toward the officers before two officers discharged their firearms, striking Castillo. He died at the scene.
The two officers who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave, a standard procedure in such cases.
The incident has drawn attention from civil rights attorney Jim Chanin, who monitors the Oakland Police Department's activities. Chanin questioned the justification for deadly force, stating, "There are lots of people who are threats, the question is, does it – what kind of force is justified?"
Data from the Oakland Police Department indicates that this year, prior to this incident, there had been two fatal shootings out of three total critical incidents involving the department. In the same period last year, there was one fatal shooting.