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The Latest: Fourth Night of Protests of Police Shooting


EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on a police shooting of an unarmed black man in a San Diego suburb (all times local):

10 p.m.

At least 100 people are out on the streets of El Cajon, California, for a fourth night of protests of the police shooting of unarmed black man.

The Friday night protest came hours after the release of a video showing the Tuesday shooting of Alfred Olango.

The group blocked intersections as they marched through the streets. At one point, the protesters tried to walk onto an interstate freeway, but they were blocked by police.

There were not yet any reports of violence, vandalism or arrests.

There were fears of unrest after protesters threw bottles and a brick at police and had to be broken up with pepper-spray balls on Thursday night. Five people were arrested after that protest.

Police Chief Jeff Davis says the increasingly aggressive protests prompted authorities to release the video earlier than expected.

Everyone from black community leaders to police to the victim's family urged protesters to be peaceful.

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4:50 p.m.

A lawyer for the family of an unarmed black man killed by police in California says video shows an officer provoked the man before opening fire.

Attorney Dan Gilleon says cellphone footage released by police on Friday shows what he calls "a cowboy with his gun drawn provoking a mentally disturbed person" into reacting.

Police say Alfred Olango was shot Tuesday after he pulled something from his pocket and took a shooting stance toward the officer, who shot him.

It turned out Olango was holding an e-cigarette device with a barrel-like tip.

El Cajon police Chief Jeff Davis says authorities decided to make the video public after protests over the shooting became increasingly violent. There have been several rock- and bottle-throwing incidents and arrests.

Some protesters had called for release of the video.

Gilleon contends that police didn't give the family enough time to gather and see the video before a news conference.

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4 p.m.

Government and other leaders have urged residents and businesses in the city of El Cajon, California, to stay home and shut down after protests of the police shooting of an unarmed black man have grown increasingly violent.

Daryl Priest, president of a local business association, urged downtown businesses to shut down Friday before authorities released video of the shooting of Alfred Olango and to stay closed until Sunday.

The city's school district let students out early on Friday so they could get home before any unrest develops.

The protests were peaceful in the first nights after Tuesday's shooting, but on Thursday night some protesters threw bottles and one threw a brick at police officers. Others pushed a man off his motorcycle. Five people were arrested.

Police Chief Jeff Davis says the increasing violence prompted the release of the full video sooner than expected, with hopes that speeding the process would reduce unrest.

Many people in the city were worried that in the short term, the video would fuel aggressive protests.

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3:15 p.m.

The head of the San Diego NAACP is applauding the public release of videos showing a police officer police shooting an unarmed black man.

NAACP president Andre Branch joined El Cajon police and public officials Friday at a news conference on the release of the videos of Tuesday's shooting of Alfred Olango.

Branch says full disclosure to the public builds trust and demonstrates respect.

He spoke shortly before the videos were shown.

Branch and other black leaders in the area had urged the release of the video footage after authorities initially released only a single still image earlier in the week they said showed Olango in a "shooting stance" during the confrontation with officers.

Police Chief Jeff Davis says Olango's family was invited to watch the video footage before it was made public but declined the invitation. Davis says he does not know why.

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3 p.m.

Police have released two videos showing the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by an officer in a San Diego suburb.

The videos show the officer almost immediately fired when the man suddenly raised both hands in what has been described as a shooting stance.

Another officer who just walked up fired a stun gun.

El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis says the decision to release the videos Friday came after small but increasingly violent protests.

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12:55 p.m.

Police say they will release videos of the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by an officer in a San Diego suburb.

The release expected later Friday comes after protesters and the family of the dead man demanded to see the full cellphone video from which a single frame had been released showing the man in what was described as a "shooting stance."

They claimed the image had been "cherry-picked" to support the police version of the shooting.

A police statement said the video and an unspecified surveillance video will be distributed at a 2 p.m. PDT briefing at the El Cajon Police Department.

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10:50 a.m.

Pastors have led dozens of people in a prayer for healing in a San Diego suburb following days of angry and sometimes violent protests over the police killing of an unarmed black man.

Ministers on Friday said they are hurting over the death of Ugandan refugee Alfred Olango and called for unity outside El Cajon police headquarters.

Police say Olango was fatally shot after he quickly drew an object from his pocket and pointed it at an officer in a "shooting stance." Police were responding to a report of a mentally unstable man.

Clergy emphasized that diversity is a strength in the community where thousands of refugees make their home. Minsters who attended had immigrated from Jordan, Vietnam and Iraq.

One minister speaking in Arabic called for peace.

© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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