City of San Bernadino pays $4 million to family of man killed by police
The family of a Black San Bernardino man has settled a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit filed against the city and two officers involved in a July 2022 fatal shooting. Rob Marquise Adams, 23, was shot six times in the back as he fled from police, who believed he was armed, outside of an illegal gambling establishment.
The city agreed to pay $4 million to the young man’s estate, a decision that was reached during mediation on February 17 but withheld from the public until last week. A case trial was originally scheduled to start in June. “San Bernardino agreed to the settlement recognizing the costs and attorneys’ fees to take a federal civil rights case to trial, as well as the risks associated with a civil jury, given the current climate in the courts,” said attorney Steven Rothans in a released statement shared on the city’s official website.
Two years ago, officers responded to reports of a Black man named “JuJu” being armed in the parking lot of the business located on the 400 block of West Highland Avenue. Once at the location, Officers Michael Yeun and Imran Ahmed claimed they observed Adams with a gun on his waist as he walked in the direction of their vehicle. Despite being ordered to freeze, the man ran between cars. At that point, Yeun and Ahmed believed he was attempting to “find cover and ambush the officers.” Adams' gun, a 9mm Taurus, was recovered from the roof of a nearby business.
Attorney Brad Gage said the settlement validates the family’s claims that the killing was not justified. He, along with civil rights attorney Ben Crump, represented the family in their legal battle for justice. “They had a report of a Black man with a gun. That’s all they knew,” Gage told The Sun in reference to the officers’ conduct that night. “They had no knowledge of who the Black man was, and they didn’t have knowledge of any convictions at all. Instead, they shot down Rob Adams in what has been described as hunting and killing rather than protecting and serving.”
Additional details about the case and commentary from Gage will be publicized on Thursday, March 28, during a press conference.
]]>
