UPDATE: 6:41 p.m., April 29, 2021
Following a protest Wednesday by community members, Escondido Police Department (EPD) released video footage from an incident last week where an officer shot and killed 59-year-old Steven John Olson.
In the video released late Thursday, at least six shots were fired by Officer Chad Moore.
EPD said Olson allegedly approached Moore last Wednesday with a 2-foot-long crowbar in his hand, prompting the officer to fire his gun.
The incident happened in a strip mall near the intersection of Broadway and Second Avenue.
Mike Olson, Steve Olson's brother said Steven was deaf and mentally ill.
"He was in the Army, he got hurt in the Army and lost his hearing in one ear," he said. "I just hope that the public, and everybody, gets treated legally and fair… and that somebody has to take responsibility for what they did."
Mike added that Steven Olson was well know in the community and harmless.
"He was just always doing something, always helping people, even since he's had his problems. I would find him helping somebody cleaning their parking lots, or rearranging some seating. Shop owners tell me he's always just helping people," he said. "Everybody loved him, he wouldn't hurt anyone..."
The shooting happened a day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's conviction in the death of George Floyd, a case that highlighted police brutality against Black people.
Almost immediately after the shooting, Escondido community members demanded police release video footage of the incident.
RELATED: Man Who Was Fatally Shot By Police In Escondido Is Identified
On Wednesday, protesters with "We The People Escondido" gathered outside City Hall asking for the bodycam footage to be released for full transparency.
“Today we are still fighting for transparency with this case going on," We The People Escondido’s Leyel Malave said. "We still haven't received any of the bodycam footage and they are saying that they are only going to release part of the footage, which isn't true transparency.”
In a statement also released on Wednesday, Escondido Police Department said, “By law we have 45 days to release video. As this is an active investigation and all evidence will be submitted and reviewed by the district attorney’s office. Any release of video is coordinated through the investigators and DA. That being said, our chief has an interest in getting it out to the public in a timely manner. I haven’t received a definite timeline, but it’s still anticipated to come out this week.”
Sources told KPBS that Olson struggled with his cognitive abilities and mental health, but he was not a threatening presence.
