Funeral held for man shot dead by San Bernardino Police
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Five weeks after 23-year-old Rob Adams was fatally shot by San Bernardino Police a funeral was held for him Saturday. Hundreds of people filled the Ecclesia Christian Fellowship Church in San Bernardino. The reason for the delay in burial can be directly connected to the conflicting accounts of how he died.
Family members say Rob Adams was an honors student on the brink of creating his own business when he was shot multiple times in the back by a brutal police department, Saturday July 16. San Bernardino Police tell a starkly different story of the confrontation. They claim Adams was wielding a gun in a parking lot when they responded to a police call of a suspect with a gun. Then, they say Adams ran from police, darting behind parked cars, leaving them in fear he would shoot them — so officers fired upon him first.
Not one but two coroners' reports were reportedly conducted on his death. One investigation was conducted by the San Bernardino County Coroner. A second independent autopsy was paid for by former NFL player and activist Colin Kaepernick. Adams' family attorneys released those findings on Friday, Aug. 19. According to celebrated attorney Ben Crump, Adams was shot seven times in the back as he fled undercover police, who he claimed did not identify themselves as police. Rob they said feared for his own life, and that’s why he ran. The family also maintains he was holding a phone, not a gun as police allege. Attorneys said the funeral was delayed for weeks so that autopsies could be performed.
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On a hot August morning in San Bernardino, people of all ages attended Admas' service. Many attendees wore royal blue. The program was entitled "Cherishing Memories" — Rob Marquise Adams sunrise, June 1, 1999, sunset, July 16, 2022.
Bishop Powell gave the eulogy. Adams was remembered as a gifted student, a dutiful son and a good friend. One man said to me after the service "Don’t believe what they’re saying about my cousin on the news, he was a good man."
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Speaking at the funeral were friends and Adams’ mother and father. Then the attorneys took the stage, Crump sounding like part preacher and part lawyer. "Today we are going to sob — but tomorrow we are going to fight for Rob," he said. It was a message that resonated deeply with this primarily African-American audience. In the final moments of the 90-minute tribute, mourners approached the coffin. One young child in particular sobbed and was carried out by an adult.
As for the San Bernardino Police Department, they told me on the phone that they had made their public comments already. They maintained their account of Adams' death was correct. They were aware of recent allegations made by the family’s attorneys but said no further comment would be made until the investigation was completed. I’ve emailed the county coroner's office, but have yet to hear back.
After the funeral, the casket laden with flowers was loaded into the back of the hearse. The doors closed and the hearse made its way to the grave site nine miles away to Adams final resting place.