Alfred Olango
6 Months Later
By Laila H. Aziz
March 27, 2017
Recap of the Alfred Olango Slaying on The 6 Month Anniversary of His Death
September 27, 2016 the City of El Cajon was forever changed after the sister of an African man called for help for her distraught brother. There was no crime in progress, just pain. Alfred Olango had recently lost his best friend and his uncle; he was grieving and on that fateful day the pain was overwhelming. His sister called 911 for assistance, believing trained mental health professionals would assist her family during their time of need. Officer Richard Gonsalves, who was also dealing with his own imbalanced levels of stress, had previously shown signs and symptoms of impaired mental functioning, was the first to arrive at the scene. In July 2015, Officer Richard Gonsalves was sued and demoted for sending unwarranted naked pictures to a subordinate female officer. Even a city council meeting was held, with enraged women residents who demanded to know why Officer Gonsalves was not fired after demonstrating a clear lack of judgment. The woman wanted to know why the City of El Cajon and the El Cajon Police Department was allowing an officer, who had violated a woman, to keep his weapon and job. Gonsalves’ decision making in 2016 was still clearly maladjusted, less than a month before the murder of Olango he was sued again for harassment at work. The female officer who had initially sued him in 2015 had reopened another suit, this time, it name other male officers who were also included in the suit. El Cajon PD did nothing and allowed an individual with clear signs of a mental disorder to make life and death decisions. Gonsalves was the first officer to arrive at the scene of the incident.
Alfred Olango
Phot credit, Olango family