Abdul Kamara
Abdul Kamara, 29, had moved to San Diego County to study at the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, and had taken a semester off to return to his family's home in Virginia. His family had come to the United States from Sierra Leone to escape civil war, and his mother, Fredrika Nabbie, is a nurse. In March 2024, while he was being booked into the Vista Detention Facility, deputies restrained him in a WRAP device; he lost consciousness and stopped breathing, and he died at a hospital. The family's federal lawsuit says deputies pinned him down for about seven minutes, with six deputies' weight on him, and left him on the ground without medical assessment. The sheriff's department has given a different account of the restraint, which the family disputes, and San Diego police, who took over the investigation, said he had a medical emergency.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The sheriff's department says he kicked and flailed against deputies, while his family's federal lawsuit says deputies pinned him for about seven minutes under six deputies' weight in a WRAP restraint and left him on the ground without medical assessment.
Reported by: San Diego County Sheriff's Department (the agency that held him); Kamara family's federal lawsuit (mother Fredrika Nabbie) (family or their lawyers); San Diego police, who took over the investigation (outside investigators).
Lawsuit: His mother, Fredrika Nabbie, filed a federal lawsuit over his death, and no payment amount has been reported.
News reports (3)
- Their daughter died in jail. Wrestling triumph from tragedy, they launched a nonprofit to seek justice, reforms. - San Diego Union-Tribune
- Family Sues County, Raises Questions Over Care Leading Up to In-Custody Death of Abdul Kamara
- San Diego County sued over death of former GIA student during jail booking - San Diego Union-Tribune