SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Activists and family members gathered on Sunday to call for police reform following the 6th anniversary of an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of El Cerrito man.
Organized by the Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego (RJCSD), a rally and press conference were held at the San Diego Police Department downtown. The group is also calling for the District Attorney to prosecute the involved officers or have them resign.
Police responded to the call on Aug. 24, 2019, when Dennis Carolino, 53, threw a brick at his aunt during a mental health crisis, according to Lt. Matt Dobbs. Carolino was found by deputies with a shovel in his hand and began swinging it which led to Officer Jose Menendez shooting him, according to Dobbs.
“The San Diego Police Department is committed to the preservation and protection of all lives,” the lieutenant said in a previous FOX5/KUSI article. “As with all tragic incidents, a review of the training and tactics provided to our officers will be conducted.”
The rally on Sunday was organized along with Carolino’s family members, including his brother, Anthony Carolino.
“Using excessive deadly force, that’s not the answer,” Carolino said when describing the shooting.
Carolino described it took police only seconds to shoot his brother, he said what happened to his brother wasn’t fair and that police “need more training.”
Patricia De Arman, the sister of Chris De Arman, another man killed in a police shooting, attended the rally to help “make a change in the laws.”
De Arman held a sign that showed the picture of body cam footage during the shooting and wore at a hat that read “in loving memory of Chris.”
“We are both here because both of our brothers were killed by the San Diego Police Department,” De Arman said. “They keep doing this with immunity.”
“The more support we have the better, because we need more voices to share our side of the story, not just the redacted versions,” De Arman added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
