Sheriff's Deputies Shoot And Kill Half Brother Of Man Found Hanging In California

The half brother of Robert Fuller, a black man found hanging from a tree last week in Southern California, was shot and killed during an interaction with Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, according to a statement from a lawyer for the Fuller family.

"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," Hicks said in a statement.

Los Angeles County officials originally ruled Fuller's death a suicide before walking back those statements this week.

According to Los Angeles Magazine, Los Angeles County's chief medical examiner-coroner, Jonathan Lucas, said Monday that officials earlier classified Fuller's death a suicide because there was no evidence indicating a homicide that was obvious at the scene.

Roy Smith, a longtime Palmdale resident who is black, spoke of his mistrust about law enforcement wanting to do a thorough investigation into Fuller's death.