A family is seeking answers about how a man died in the custody of San Diego County sheriff's deputies.
Abdul Kamara, 29, died shortly after his March 3 arrest, but his family and their attorney said his cause of death remains unknown and a medical examiner's report regarding his autopsy is sealed.
Along with answers regarding how he died, the family is seeking any video footage of his arrest, such as police officer body-worn camera footage, yet they say the sheriff's department has refused to release any such videos, in contradiction with state law.
Under AB 748, body-worn camera footage from "critical incidents" such as use-of-force incidents resulting in death must be released within 45 days of a public records request. However, the disclosure of such videos can be delayed if it would "substantially interfere" with an investigation into the incident, according to the law.
Sheriff's officials did not respond for comment regarding the potential release of video footage.
But Monday afternoon, the department released an update on county jail improvements, which in part noted "Between 2022 and 2023, we have seen a 68% reduction in in-custody deaths, and we anticipate a further reduction in 2024." The update also quoted Sheriff Kelly Martinez as saying, "While this (reduction in in-custody deaths) is encouraging, it is not satisfactory ... Until we ensure the dignity and safety of every person in our care every day, our mission is incomplete. The role incarceration plays in our justice system includes the assurance that people in jail will be safe and treated with dignity."
According to San Diego police, Kamara was first transported to Scripps Encinitas on the night of March 2, but apparently left the hospital on his own a short time later.
Just before midnight, sheriff's deputies in Cardiff found Kamara crawling around a parking lot off Birmingham Drive with no shirt or shoes, according to police.
He was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and after he was driven to the Vista jail, he "began throwing himself against the interior of the patrol car, causing injury to his face," police said.
The deputies called for paramedics to treat the injury and sat Kamara down on a bench, at which point he "stood up and then began kicking and flailing against deputies trying to control him," according to police.
Kamara was then placed in a WRAP restraint device that restricts a person's movement. After paramedics arrived, Kamara began experiencing a medical emergency, fell unconscious and stopped breathing. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Kamara's family originally hails from Sierra Leone and said they fled their home country to escape civil war.
Kamara moved to San Diego County about two months before his death to attend the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad.
At a news conference held Monday morning in front of the Vista Detention Facility, Kamara's mother, Fredrika Nabbie, said, "I brought my son here from Africa 15 years ago for safety."
Pointing to a picture of her son, Nabbie said, "This handsome man here was killed by police. I have no answer from them why they killed my son."
David Diaz, who called Kamara his best friend, said Kamara was "clearly" undergoing a mental health crisis.
Along with the requests for video footage and other information regarding his death, Diaz said he and Kamara's family are asking for any eyewitnesses of his arrest to come forward.
"His life will not go by quietly. His memory deserves more than silence," he said.
The news conference was also organized and attended by representatives from various organizations seeking improved treatment of the incarcerated in San Diego County, where the high rate of county jail deaths has drawn scrutiny from legislators and the public.
Yusef Miller, co-founder of Saving Lives in Custody California, said Kamara's family "is suffering. They don't know what happened. They don't know why it happened and they're left in the dark without their son."
