The family of Darius Smith, a 15-year-old boy who was fatally shot by an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent Friday night in Arcadia, Calif., is disputing the official narrative and demanding justice.
According to the agent, Darius and two 14-year-old boys tried to rob him at gunpoint after they all exited a train Friday night. One of the boys was Darius’ cousin. The agent, who works at San Francisco International Airport and lives in Arcadia, claims that he was forced to shoot the teens in self-defense, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Darius was hospitalized and died Saturday morning from his injuries. His cousin’s injuries were not life-threatening. The third teen was later taken into custody.
According to ABC7.com, the two teens who were not shot to death still face robbery charges. The border agent was allegedly bruised but did not require hospitalization.
Reshawna Myricks, Darius Smith’s mother, rejects the official narrative and insists that the teens would not have tried to rob anyone.
“Them boys didn’t do that,” Myricks told KCAL9. “They aren’t those type of boys to do that.”
“[They’re] going to walk home; they’re going to see their kids tonight,” Myricks said of the border agent and law enforcement officers claiming that her son committed a crime. “I got to go back and tell my other three that one of them ain’t coming back no more.
“First they said there was no crime committed,” Myricks continued. “Now there is a crime committed. Now it’s a gun; then they said there was a fight. I don’t know what to believe. All I know is my baby [is] gone and I’ll never know his story.”
Lee Merritt, attorney for Darius’ family, says that after reviewing the case and speaking with the boys who survived the shooting, the victims’ families and an eyewitness who has not come forward publicly, he is sure that Darius was executed.
“Despite multiple shots from the killer, not one shot was fired from the gun allegedly carried by these boys (the reports are a toy gun was found near the scene),” Merritt wrote in a Facebook post. “While he was emptying his clip they appeared to be running for their lives.”
Darius Smith, Jayson Negron and Jordan Edwards, all 15 years old, are the youngest victims of fatal police violence this year.
As The Root previously reported, Bridgeport, Conn., Police Officer James Boulay fatally shot Jayson on May 9 after a brief car chase. Authorities claim that Jayson backed into an officer, “forcing Boulay to shoot Jayson in the head and wound the passenger, Julian Fyffe, 22, in the shoulder.”
On April 29, Balch Springs, Texas, Police Officer Roy Oliver shot Jordan in the head with a rifle as the teen was leaving a party with his brothers. Chief Jonathan Haber initially claimed that the car in which Jordan was traveling was “backing down the street toward officers in an aggressive manner,” which forced Oliver to open fire.
Haber later retracted that statement after viewing video of the fatal shooting, claiming that he “misspoke.”
Darius’ mother has set up a fund to help with funeral expenses. Click here to support.