An Unarmed Man Was Shot 20 Times by Deputies. Now His Family Is Suing
Jaque Rabon’s family is seeking answers months after their 23-year-old son was fatally shot by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies. His parents have now filed a federal lawsuit alleging that deputies used excessive force during the January encounter.
According to KTLA News, deputies were attempting to serve Rabon with a no-bail warrant when they encountered him at a shopping center. Body camera footage released by the department shows deputies pursuing Rabon through the parking lot before opening fire.
Rabon was shot approximately 20 times and later pronounced dead.
The circumstances surrounding those final moments are now at the center of the family’s lawsuit.
Authorities have said Rabon appeared to reach toward a black bag he was wearing, leading deputies to believe he could be armed, according to KABC News. But no weapon was found after the shooting. The family’s attorney, Dale Galipo, disputes the justification for the use of deadly force and argues that reaching toward a bag should not have resulted in Rabon being shot.
“Think about this: If anyone other than a police officer showed up at a shopping plaza and shot someone 20 times who was unarmed, they would be immediately jailed, immediately charged with murder, with no bail,” Galipo said according ot KABC.
For Rabon’s family, the lawsuit is about more than financial damages. It is about accountability and understanding what happened to their son.
Rabon’s mother, Tyesha Moody, described her son as someone who was deeply important to the family.
“Jaque was a giver; Jaque was our supporter,” Moody said, describing him as being “more like my daddy than my son.”
She acknowledged that no lawsuit can undo the loss.
“No amount of money or the lawsuit or anything is going to bring him back,” Moody said. “But me being able to face the officers that took his life would give me a little comfort.”
The lawsuit comes as the circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has declined to comment on the case while the California Department of Justice investigates the incident, according to the San Bernardino Sun.
Rabon’s death has left his family grappling not only with grief but with questions about the use of deadly force. His cousin, Kentae Isaiah, told KABC the manner of Rabon’s death has made the loss even harder to process.
“It hurts not having him,” Isaiah said. “But it really hurts for him being done the way he got done.”
Now, Rabon’s family is asking a federal court to examine the encounter and determine whether deputies violated his rights.
For them, the lawsuit is not simply about what happened in a Riverside parking lot that January day. It is about accountability for young man whose life ended after an encounter with the people sworn to enforce the law.
