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Officers won't be charged in death of unarmed black man

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No criminal charges will be brought against five California officers in a fatal Taser encounter with an unarmed man in Millbrae last year, a district attorney announced Friday. Video of the incident was made public Friday afternoon. The decision by San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe comes in the wake of public outcry over the death of Chinedu Okobi, concern over multiple fatal Taser incidents in San Mateo County and mounting calls for the video's release.

Axar.az reports citing CBS news that, Okobi, 36, was unarmed when he died Oct. 3 after being tasered during the encounter with four San Mateo County Sheriff's deputies and a sheriff's sergeant. One of the deputies discharged the Taser, Wagstaffe said.

Speaking Friday, Wagstaffe called the case a "horrible tragedy" and said he wasn't aiming to blame Okobi, a father and graduate of Moorehouse College. He said his investigation found the officers' actions were lawful under the California penal code.

Okobi's sister Ebele Okobi told CBS News she is devastated by the district attorney's decision, but not surprised. Okobi's was the third death in the span of 10 months involving Tasers and law enforcement in San Mateo, a Bay Area county. Wagstaffe also declined to charge officers involved in the two other Taser deaths.

Ebele Okobi, who is the director of public policy for Africa at Facebook, said the district attorney's decision means "in San Mateo county, police are allowed to use an unlawful level of force and kill citizens with absolute impunity."

The video released Friday -- a compilation of about 30 minutes of dashcam, cell and surveillance video -- shows a deputy driving in a patrol car and approaching Okobi, who is walking near a busy road. Wagstaffe said the deputy first approached Okobi because Okobi had crossed the road against the light and outside of a crosswalk. Wagstaffe said Okobi didn't comply with the officer's request to talk on a sidewalk and continued to walk in traffic, and the deputy called for backup.

Other deputies responded, and the first deputy warned Okobi he would be Tased. He deployed the Taser when Okobi "continued to ignore instructions" and moved toward the deputy, according to a letter from Wagstaffe to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office saying the officers would not be charged. In the video, Okobi is seen falling to the ground, asking "What did I do?" and calling for help.

Wagstaffe's letter says the deputy activated the Taser several more times because Okobi was resisting and was "agitated, speaking incoherently, excited." Okobi is then seen running across the street.

Date
2019.03.02 / 17:17
Author
Axar.az
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