The family of Rob Adams gathered at a community center in Los Angeles last Friday to announce a $100 million lawsuit filed against the San Bernardino Police Department (SBPD).
23-year-old Adams was allegedly armed when he was shot by police in July. The officers, who were in an unmarked vehicle, say they were responding to a report of an armed man in a parking lot on the 400 block of West Highland Avenue in San Bernardino.
Police say they gave Adams verbal commands, but they believed Adams would shoot at them when he ran toward two parked cars. The officers shot at Adams, who later died of his injuries at a local hospital.
An independent autopsy revealed Adams was shot seven times in the back. The deadly encounter was captured on security cameras and circulated on social media.
Attorneys for Adams’ family say he was holding a cellphone, not a gun. Adams' mother, Tamika King, says she was on the phone with her son until she heard gunshots.
“And I don't want this for no other parents. This is hell on earth. And we want justice,” said King.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump says San Bernardino police profiled Rob Adams because he was a young black man.
“This lawsuit is not just about Rob Adams, it's about the pattern impact the practice that exists will police who use unnecessary, unjustifiable excess excessive use of force,” said Crump.
The Adams' legal team alleges that the San Bernardino Police Department is not being transparent about the shooting because they were slow to release body-cam footage, have yet to release the names of the officers and have not responded to public records requests.
A spokesman for SBPD said the investigation is ongoing and that the department will not be commenting on the lawsuit.