Mother of Mobile teen killed by police watches body cam: âMy son was murderedâ
The mother of a 16-year-old boy shot and killed by Mobile police during a predawn raid was allowed to see the police body camera footage, telling WKRG afterward “I (viewed) the body cam today and my son was (murdered) by two officer(s).”
Christine Adjessom and other family members of 16-year-old Randall Adjessom were allowed to see the footage despite the Mobile Police Department’s longstanding policy of refusing to release body cam footage.
The City of Mobile said the footage could be shown to the family because it had yet to be submitted to a Mobile County Grand Jury, according to the report.
Just after 5:30 a.m. Monday, narcotics and SWAT team officers forced their way into a residence in the 3400 block of Sheringham Drive to execute a search warrant based off a report of marijuana being sold at the residence.
Once inside, officers encountered Randall Adjessom, who police say pointed a laser-sighted handgun at officers. At least one officer opened fire, striking the teenager at least once. The teen was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
In the aftermath, Mobile police announced one officer had been placed on administrative leave, suggesting only one officer fired his weapon. Christine Adjessom’s statement to WKRG would seem to contradict that.
Randall Adjessom’s father, Akouvi Adjessom, has not issued a public statement, but posted to his Facebook page “Mobile police killed my son (over) nothing.”
Randall Adjessom was not the subject of the search warrant.
Police were looking for another resident of the home where the raid took place, 18-year-old DeAngelo Lee Adjessom, who was not there at the time. He would later return to the home and was taken into custody, charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and a weapons charge. He posted $6,000 bond and was released later the same day.
Monday afternoon, hours after the teenager’s killing, Mayor Sandy Stimpson issued a statement in which he has asked for an independent review of the Mobile Police Department’s use of force.
Stimpson also issued a ban on most predawn search warrants such as the one being executed in the Monday incident.
Stimpson also said the City has hired former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama Kenyen Brown to conduct “a comprehensive review of the Mobile Police Department’s policy, procedures and training related to officers’ use of force. His work will include a review of prior incidences of police use of force and full access to all evidence, including body camera footage.”
Stimpson said he expects the report to be completed, with recommendations, within 90 days. The report will be made public.