OAKLAND — The Oakland Police Department on Friday video footage of a deadly police shooting last month near City Hall involving an off-duty officer en route to work and a man who authorities say pointed a gun at him.
According to police, the footage was taken from three nearby security cameras that recorded the early morning shooting on Nov. 7 at the intersection of 16th Street and San Pablo Avenue.
Police say that one of its police sergeants — identified as Sven Hamilton — was not in uniform and driving to police headquarters in an unmarked car when a man identified as 52-year-old Lloyd Dillard walked across the intersection as the sergeant pulled up to the street curb.
In the released video, Dillard is seen walking behind the car and appearing to strike the trunk, prompting the sergeant to get out. Moments later, Hamilton ducks back into his car in response to the sight of Dillard pointing a handgun in his direction.
From inside the car, the sergeant fires several shots at Dillard, who fell backward onto the sidewalk. That is followed by the sight of Hamilton getting out of the car and firing more shots.
Dillard died at the scene, and police say officers recovered a loaded gun linked to him and multiple different caliber bullet casings from the shooting scene.
Besides not being in uniform and not driving a readily identifiable police vehicle, police said the sergeant was not wearing a body-worn camera.
The footage generally aligns with an account of the shooting given by Harry Stern, Hamilton’s attorney.
“It’s clear the sergeant had no other choice but to defend himself when he was attacked. It was one of the most harrowing incidents I’ve seen, even in the context of the out-of-control crime in the city of Oakland,” Stern said in an interview last month.
Oakland Police Officers’ Association President Barry Donelan weighed in on the shooting after the video release.
“Sgt. Hamilton demonstrated great courage, tactics and professionalism while under fire in this life-threatening situation,” Donelan said in a statement.
The shooting is being investigated by the Oakland Police Department’s Homicide Section and Internal Affairs Division, as well as the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and the Oakland Community Police Review Agency.
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