Officer Jeffery Newlen, hired 5 years ago, and Officer Mathew Griffin, hired nearly 6 years ago, were the two officers who responded to the 911 robbery call last Saturday. The caller had falsely reported that McDade was armed. Neither officer has been involved in an officer-involved shooting before.
The department also released its Use of Force Policy, which is the same one used in hundreds of communities across the country. It states that officers are authorized to use deadly force after a suspect is warned to stop and a verbal warning is issued, if feasible.
The police chief's adjutant Lt. Phlunte Riddle says officers did not use lights and sirens in the pursuit, yet she says there was no question McDade knew the police wanted him to stop.
"He was within feet of that black and white vehicle, there was no way to misinterpret what that car was, and the officers were in uniform," Riddle said.
She also said the officers did not use sirens or lights because at the time, there was no threat of violence even though the officers believed McDade was armed. Officers say they fired after McDade allegedly reached for his waistband and feared he was going for a gun.
Oscar Carrillo, the man who called 911 and said that McDade was armed, remains in jail. Community leaders say it's a warning to all.
"So the community, yes, has a special responsibility put simply, to tell the truth," said Earl Ofari Hutchinson of the Los Angeles Urban Round Table.
The Pasadena police chief was expected to make an appearance 9 a.m. Saturday at New Revelation Missionary Church to answer more questions from the community.
