Friends and family gathered in San Bernardino Saturday morning to say goodbye to a 23-year-old man who was killed by police in July.
Loved ones of Robert Marquise Adams gathered at Ecclesia Christian Fellowship, more than a month after the San Bernardino man was shot and killed by police in a parking lot.
Police say Adams was armed with a handgun when officers entered the parking lot in an unmarked vehicle. Video of the shooting appears to show Adams approach the slow-moving vehicle possibly with a firearm in his hand. But when officers exited the vehicle and announced themselves as police, Adams is seen running in the opposite direction.
At least one of the officers opened fire on Adams, striking him in the back several times. Adams was transported to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.
The San Bernardino Police Department has released video of the incident, alleging that officers feared for their lives when they shot Adams. Chief Darren Goodman said the officers believed Adams was running to hide behind a nearby car to “take cover” and fire at them. He requested that the public “withhold their judgment” until a full investigation could be completed.
Still, activists have called the shooting an act of murder, with well-known social media influencer Shaun King calling the shooting an “execution.”
At the time of the shooting, Adams’ father told KTLA that his son was likely armed and “protecting himself” due to violent robberies in the area. He also said police provided him with little information about his son’s death.
Police have argued that the parking lot where Adams was shot was adjacent to an illegal gambling site with recurring crime reported in the area. The Police Department also said that Adams had a lengthy criminal history, although he was not the subject of an investigation or identified as such prior to the shooting.
Adams’ family has hired well-known civil rights attorney Ben Crump to represent them in the matter. Crump has previously represented the family of George Floyd who was murdered by police in Minneapolis in 2020. So far, the family has received the results of a private autopsy which revealed the total number of times Adams was hit as seven.
Crump has announced a lawsuit against the San Bernardino Police Department for Adams’ death. Members of his family have also said they do not believe that their loved one was actually armed at the time of the shooting, instead theorizing that he was in possession of a cell phone. The Police Department has disagreed with that assertion, stating that video from the shooting “clearly” shows a firearm in his hand.
The shooting remains under investigation by the Police Department. The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is conducting its own investigation of what happened and whether or not officers were justified in their use of force.