Oakland police released body-camera and surveillance footage Thursday showing the encounter that ended with officers fatally shooting a man who was carrying two homemade spear-like weapons in the city’s Fruitvale neighborhood last month.
The video shows the man refusing repeated commands to drop the weapons, walking away from officers through nearby streets and later swinging one of the weapons toward police in a strip mall parking lot. Officers first used stun guns and then opened fire.
The shooting happened shortly after 2 p.m. July 13 near International Boulevard and 40th Avenue, after California Highway Patrol officers requested assistance with a man they had encountered near a homeless encampment along International Boulevard, according to Oakland police.
The department’s edited compilation video identifies the man as Jose Angel Castillo, 43, but police said they were still seeking help contacting his next of kin.
The crime scene as police investigate following a shooting near International Boulevard and 40th Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 13, 2026. Police said they shot and killed a person who attacked officers in East Oakland. (Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle)
The footage shows Castillo holding two long poles with blades attached to the ends. A CHP officer orders him to put the weapons down and tells him, “You’re detained right now. You need to drop those right now.”
Castillo does not let go of the poles. He holds up the weapons and moves away from the CHP officers toward International Boulevard. Oakland officers later encounter him near East 12th Street and 41st Avenue, where the video shows him continuing to walk away as officers repeatedly order him to drop the weapons.
“I don’t have to do nothing,” Castillo says in the footage. “Leave me alone! I’m leaving!”
As the encounter moves down the street, a bystander and two children appear to take cover behind a tree. More officers arrive, including officers in plain clothes. Police continue issuing commands as Castillo approaches the International Boulevard shopping center.
Oakland police released body-camera and surveillance footage of a July 13 shooting that left a man dead in Fruitvale. The video shows officers confronting the man, who was carrying two homemade spear-like weapons, before the encounter ended in gunfire. Multiple investigations remain open. (Oakland Police Department)
In the parking lot, Castillo turns toward the officers. At least two officers use stun guns. The footage shows Castillo momentarily disabled before he removes a backpack and swings one of the bladed weapons in the officers’ direction.
Two Oakland officers then fire their handguns from a distance of roughly 15 to 20 feet, according to the video. Castillo falls to the pavement. Officers wait briefly before approaching, handcuffing him and beginning lifesaving measures.
He was pronounced dead in the strip mall. No officers or other community members were physically injured, according to the Oakland Police Department.
The Alameda County Sheriff Coroner vehicle leaves the crime scene following a shooting near International Boulevard and 40th Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 13, 2026. Police said they shot and killed a person who attacked officers in East Oakland. (Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle)
The department said the two officers who fired their guns were placed on paid administrative leave, in accordance with policy. Their names have not been released.
The shooting is being investigated by Oakland police’s internal affairs unit and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. Oakland’s Community Police Review Agency also has been notified.
The video release came about a month after the shooting. California law requires agencies to make recordings of certain “critical incidents,” including officer shootings, available to the public within 45 days. The law allows agencies to delay disclosure when release would substantially interfere with an active investigation.
Subscribe
There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at Oakland police release video of fatal shooting involving man armed with homemade spears.