Family remembers man killed in officer-involved shooting
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Party decorations still hang on Tyshika Williams’ living room walls.
Balloons and banners that read "Happy Birthday" are subtle reminders of a night gone terribly wrong.
On Saturday, dozens of people celebrated her son’s first birthday.
Augustus Joshua Crawford, 20, was also there celebrating his son’s life.
That night, Crawford’s life was cut short.
On Saturday evening, two Bakersfield police officers conducted a traffic stop near South H Street and Planz Road.
Crawford was a passenger in the car, and once the car came to a stop, he ran from police. During the foot pursuit, Officer Warren Martin fatally shot Crawford.
Police said Crawford was a suspect in a shooting that took place earlier on Saturday night. Police also said a gun was recovered at the scene of the officer-involved shooting, and that gun had been one of several stolen last month from a Kern County Sheriff's Office car.
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After the officer-involved shooting, Crawford’s family wants answers. They want to know about the moments that led up to the deadly shooting.
"I want justice to be done,” said Ingrid Smith, Crawford’s mother. “I want the scales of law to prevail the way they should.”
Family close to Crawford say he was working to change his life around after serving time for gun and drug possession and gang-related offenses.
According to Williams, Crawford was working for a local potato factory and was planning to enroll in college courses in the spring.
"He said he didn’t have a lot of stuff in his childhood. He grew up rough,” said Williams. “He didn’t want his son to grow up in this lifestyle."
Smith said there are still many unanswered questions, and she said she will continue to press law enforcement for answers.
"He doesn't have a father, he's starting with one leg," said Smith of her baby grandson, who just lost his father. "It's not fair at all, and I am hurt. That was my baby."
