Family of Man Slain by Hayward Police Calls for Better Officer Training
HAYWARD (KPIX) -- The family of a man who was shot and killed by Hayward police in November is demanding new training for officers.
Hayward police officers shot and killed Agustin "Augie" Gonsalez on November after responding to reports of a man with a knife. Body camera footage shows police approaching Gonsalez, shouting "Drop the knife!" and firing 13 shots at him within seconds. Authorities later said they found a small razor near him.
Augie's mother, Karla Gonsalez, said what officers did not know is that her son was suffering from depression and had used razors to cut himself in the past. She believes that, on the night of the shooting, her son was having a mental health crisis.
"It's just so unfair," she said. "My son should be here right now."
Now the Gonsalez family is fighting for justice, showing up at Hayward city council meetings, demanding an independent investigation, more transparency and more mental health and de-escalation training.
Lourdes Garcia, Agustin's aunt, said the family met with Hayward's police chief, who told them that officers currently receive 10 hours of mental health training every other year. "That's not enough," she said.
Hayward police spokesman Lt. Guy Jakub could not give KPIX exact numbers on how many hours of mental health training officers undergo on an annual basis but said it is a priority.
"It's so important to us and we take it so serious. It's on a continual basis," he said.
"We're doing an update even this month as part of our regular training on how to better work with people with mental illness."
Jakub also said the department is always open to additional training and improvements.
Aisha Wahab, the newest member of the Hayward City Council, met with the Hayward fire department's union recently to talk about increasing mental health and de-escalation training.
"We're working together to figure out how we can actually go the extra mile," she said.
Gonsalez's mother said she is trying to be patient and give it time, but it's difficult because her son's time was cut short.
"Who gave my son more time?" she asked. "They only gave him seven seconds. Imagine if we only gave them seven seconds to respond."
The Gonsalez family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Hayward.