Apple Valley family says deputy turned on them during their own call to 911 for help

IE family demands answer after 18-year-old shot by deputy

An Apple Valley family is demanding answers after a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy shot an 18-year-old man while responding to a call. 

A San Bernardino County woman is demanding justice after she called 911 for help and a deputy ended up shooting her 18-year-old son. 

What we know:

In Feb. 2025, Tamara Brown said she called 911 to report someone was trying to break into her Apple Valley home. 

When deputies arrived at her family's home, Brown stayed on the phone with the dispatcher. 

"The 911 dispatcher assured her she could walk outside her home because it was safe," said attorney Denisse Gastélum, who is representing the Brown family in their lawsuit against the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. 

While fleeing to safety, she watched as her son was struck by police gunfire. 

"They almost took my son's life and I thank God every day that my son is still here with me," she said. 

Shooting captured on camera

The entire incident was captured on the family's home security camera. It shows the moment the deputy shoots 18-year-old Elijah Brown three times in the stomach and chest. 

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the sheriff's department released a statement saying that Brown was armed with a knife.

In response, Gastélum said: "It's a classic example of officers being impulsive, being reckless, racially profiling a young black kid and shooting first and thinking later." 

Apple Valley family demands answers after deputy shooting

An Apple Valley family is demanding answers after an 18-year-old was shot by a deputy. 

The other side:

The sheriff's department has not released the body cam footage or the 911 tapes. The San Bernardino District Attorney's Office told FOX11 the case is still under review. 

What they're saying:

"I thank God every day that I'm still able to call my brother, or my brother come see me, or I can tell my brother that I love him because I almost wasn't able to," said Christianna Brown, Elijah's sister. 

The traumatic incident has the family questioning the deputy's training. 

"My son wasn't even out the door yet, and he starts shooting. He didn't know who he was. He was racist. He was biased. And he shouldn't have been like that," said Tamara Brown. 

The family is demanding the deputy be fired and that the whole department undergo bias training.