The police killing of a Black man in southern California has raised questions about the conduct of officers in what has been described as a “horrific execution”.
On Saturday at about 8pm, the San Bernardino Police Department said in a press release that they responded to reports of a Black male with a weapon in a parking lot of an “illegal online gambling business”.
A CCTV video widely shared on socia media showed two officers wearing full police uniform arrive in the parking lot in an unmarked police car.
Rob Marquise Adams, 23, of San Bernardino allegedly approached the unmarked police car with a weapon in his hand which was later found at the scene. His family have denied the claim and the video is unclear.
Pictures meanwhile released by the police department showed a handgun in Adams’s right hand.
Seconds later, police exited the vehicle and pointed their firearms at Adams, who ran across the parking lot before being shot dead. He could be seen in the clip falling to the ground.
The man’s mother, Tamika Deavila-King, told Eyewitness News that she had been on the phone with her son in the moments before he was shot and noted that he had been scared.
“They had guns on him. It scared him,” said Ms Deavila-King. “He turned, he started running for his life and they just started shooting, they gunned him down.”
Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney, added in a tweet: “Police in San Bernardino, CA, fatally shot 23-year-old Robert Adams execution-style! It’s reported Robert didn’t know there were police in the unmarked car before he ran for his life. We need a full investigation into this horrific execution!”
Police said verbal warnings were issued before one officer shot Adams. A Taurus G3C handgun, which is capable of firing 12 rounds, was recovered from the scene.
Medical aid was administered by the two San Bernardino officers but Adams died of his injuries in a nearby hospital, the police department said on Monday night.
In the press release, police said an investigation into the incident is ongoing and claimed the social media video “fails to provide any details or context as to what occurred during the incident”.
“As with any incident of this nature, we must collect and review all of the information and available evidence (including video) before sharing videos”.
Police Chief Darren Goodman added: “We are asking the community to please withhold their judgement on the situation until they have all the available facts and details”.
