SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KNX) — A funeral Saturday gave the family and friends of Rob Adams a chance to say their goodbyes as they laid him to rest Saturday at the Ecclesia Christian Fellowship Church and provided an opportunity to loudly echo their calls for justice.
"Today we grieve, but tomorrow we fight for justice," said the family's attorney Ben Crump.
Adams, 23, was working as a security guard outside an illegal gambling facility when he was shot and killed by San Bernardino police in July.
On July 16, at about 8 p.m., Adams was working as a security guard for a gambling business when two San Bernardino officers pulled up in an unmarked car just a handful of yards away from him. SBPD claimed Adams was holding a gun as the officers drove up and recovered a handgun at the scene.
A few days after the shooting, The San Bernardino Police Department released a video with enhanced images, accompanied by commentary from Chief Darren Goodman.
"He immediately ran toward two parked vehicles with the gun in his right hand," Goodman said in the video. "Officers briefly chased Adams but seeing that he had no outlet, they believed he intended to use the vehicles as cover to shoot at them."
According to an independent autopsy report, Adams was shot seven times in the back.
"There is no reason for them to shoot this Black man running away from them seven times," Crump said on Friday.
Police attempted to save Adams, tending to his wounds shortly after shooting him and eventually rushing him into an ambulance. However, the 23-year-old ultimately died.
"If it was one shot, you would say that's human error," Crump said at Saturday's funeral. "But no, seven shots, that's human decision — decision to take a young man's life who was running away from you."
Crump represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor. More locally, he represented Pasadena man Anthony McClain who was shot and killed by police as he ran away.
"Tomorrow we fight for Rob!" Crump said. "Justice for Rob!"
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