No knife was found on the man fatally shot by police after reports he threatened to stab someone, a San Diego Police lieutenant revealed Wednesday.
Investigators recovered a knife sheath from the body of Fridoon Zalbeg Rawshannehad, 42, who was shot to death by Officer Neal N. Browder, a 27-year veteran of the SDPD.
SDPD Homicide Lt. Paul Rorrison said Rawshannehad was holding a "shiny object" when gunned down and that object has been processed as evidence. However, he would not give any details about it or say if the object was considered a weapon.
Browder encountered Rawshannehad as he responded to a Midway District porn shop just after midnight on April 30. Reports of a knife-wielding man threatening an adult bookstore clerk brought police to the scene, the SDPD says.
When Browder saw Rawshannehad, who matched the suspect description, police say the officer gave Rawshannehad verbal commands. The suspect did not heed them and "continued to advance," police say, so Browder shot him.
Investigators have not revealed what Browder ordered or why he decided to open fire.
It later came to light that Browder did not hit record on his body camera before the encounter, so police have no officer video of the shooting. The fact prompted the local ACLU to raise concerns about police accountability.
Local
Detectives discovered surveillance footage of the incident, which investigators will turn over to the District Attorney's office "at an appropriate time" for review, Rorrison said.
SDPDS Chief Shelley Zimmerman promised to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting.
