'That was murder,' says friend of man shot and killed by San Bernardino police

Alexis Hernandez first became friends with Robert Adams a few years ago. 

"If I was running the streets, running amok late at night or whatever. He'd pick me up," she said. 

Hernandez met the then 20-year-old man during a dark time in her life — when she was dealing with gambling problems, drug addiction and homelessness. Adams, who was working at a couple of gambling businesses, took care of her and helped her when he found her wandering the streets.

"I'm taking you somewhere where you don't need to be out here," Hernandez recalled him saying. "You don't need to be doing that. You're way better than that."

Three years after they first met, Hernandez came to Adams once again, but only to contribute to his ever-growing memorial.

"I watched the video and that was just — I don't understand — he's running away," she said. "That was murder."

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. 

"I am not by any stretch saying that I'm justifying anything," said Police Chief Darren Goodman. "But I'm telling you that is not to be condemned at this point either."

According to the San Bernardino Police Department, the two uniformed officers, who were from a specialized unit, were investigating a report of a man with a gun in the parking lot of an illegal internet gambling cafe.

"The officers didn't just do a random stop or profile a black person," said Goodman. "The officers were called."

Police said the area had "a history of criminal activity." According to SBPD, Adams was a suspect in an armed robbery in the area.

Security camera footage showed Adams walking towards the unmarked car, right as the two officers exited their vehicle with weapons drawn. 

"The officers, fearing being pinned in their car and taking gunfire from the subject approaching the car, immediately got out, gave the subject commands," said Goodman.

Adams began to run towards a nearby wall shortly after they came out of the car. Within 15 seconds, police opened fire, hitting Adams as he ran between two parked cars. He later died at a local hospital. 

The SBPD said that Adams pulled a gun from his waistband as he walked toward the officers' car and that there were multiple bystanders "in the immediate area." SBPD and witnesses said the officers gave Adams verbal commands. Goodman added that of the two men in the parking lot Adams was the only one who did not follow the commands. 

"I think the big difference is who complies, who follows commands and who doesn't," said Goodman. 

They later released a photo of Adams holding a gun in his hand as well as a Taurus G3C handgun, which was recovered at the scene.

"Robert appeared to be simply walking around the parking lot when officers exited their unmarked vehicle firing weapons at him immediately," attorneys Ben Crump and Bradley Gage said in a joint statement. 

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. 

The department said that when Adams turned his head back toward the officers and gave them a split second to perceive a threat from the 23-year-old who was reportedly still holding a gun. Goodman also disputed the claims that officers immediately started shooting.

"His perception was that he was going to turn and possibly shoot him, his partner and some of the bystanders who were in that parking lot as well," said Goodman.

The family confirmed that Adams was working as a security guard for the gambling business and disputed the claim that the 23-year-old had a gun.

"He wasn't armed with a handgun, no," said Adams' mother Tamika Deavila King. "Especially when he was going the other way, I could understand if he was a threat to them. But he was not a threat to them, he was running for his life." 

Body camera footage released by SBPD showed officers rendering aid to Adams after shooting him as well as carrying him to an ambulance. The body camera footage released did not have audio at the start because of the 30-second buffer before activation, according to the police.

According to SBPD, Adams was convicted of robbery and felony probation for armed robbery. He was also arrested multiple times and had warrants out for his arrest.