Family Of Teen Slain By Oakland Police Demands Official Reports
OAKLAND (KCBS) - The family of an Oakland teenager shot and killed by police rallied with supporters Thursday to demand the release of official accounts of what led officers to the fatal encounter with the 17-year-old high school senior.
Alan Blueford's mother Jeralyn accused city officials of withholding information about the fatal May 6 police shooting, and pressed for the release of police and coroner reports related to the deadly officer-involved shooting.
"I as his mother, we as parents, deserve to know what happened to our baby," Blueford said during an emotional rally outside the Alameda County Coroner's Office.
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
Blueford was shot three times after pointing a gun at a police officer, according police. The Oakland Police Department later retracted initial claims that Blueford opened fire at police and injured a police officer.
The gun recovered at the scene had not been fired, and the police officer apparently shot himself in the foot, according to the Oakland Police Department.
A final report on the incident is expected in late July. The city administrator has indicated it could take as long as a year for the police and coroner reports to become public.
Civil rights attorney Dan Siegal, a former legal advisor to Mayor Jean Quan, accused the city of using delay tactics to try and bury an embarrassing case.
"They're obviously playing a game here. They want this issue to go away. They figure by delaying the reports that we will then lose interest and go onto something else. That's not going to happen," Siegal said.
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