Half-brother of Robert Fuller — man found hanged in California — killed during shootout with deputies

Jessica Schladebeck

The half-brother of Robert Fuller, a black man found hanged in the California city of Palmdale last week was killed during a shootout with police officers in a town less than 20 miles away.

The gunfire erupted near an apartment complex in the Kern County community of Rosamund, just north of the Los Angeles County border, early Wednesday evening. Lt. Robert Westphal, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, told the Los Angeles Times that authorities had been investigating a kidnapping and assault at the time of the fatal confrontation.

Officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop of a vehicle they’d been following around 4:30 p.m., prompting the passenger to open his door and unleash several rounds, according to police. Westphal said the man shot at deputies at least five times before they returned fire.

He was struck once in the chest and later died from his injuries. Detectives recovered a semiautomatic handgun at the scene

Police did not immediately name the man, but he was later identified as Terron Jammal Boone by attorney Jamon Hicks.

“This afternoon I had to notify the sisters of Robert Fuller that their half-brother Terron Jammal Boone was killed by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies in Kern County,” Jamon Hicks said in a statement to CNN.

Fire department personnel discovered Fuller’s body hanging in a Palmdale Park near City Hall on June 10. His initial cause of death was listed as suicide, which sparked immediate backlash from those who knew him.

Fuller’s family, who denies he was suicidal, have called for an independent investigation and autopsy. They were joined by members of the community, which ultimately prompted the sheriff’s office to launch a full investigation with assistance from the FBI and state attorney general.

Los Angeles County Medical Examiner Coroner Dr. Jonathan Lucas said that while his findings were consistent with suicide, officials “felt it prudent to roll that back and continue to look deeper.”