LA County Sheriff's department sued in shootout death of man related to Robert Fuller

LOS ANGELES - What are the odds, many said when the half- brother of Robert Fuller, whose body was found hanging from a tree in front of Palmdale City Hall in early June, ended up in a shootout with LA County Sheriff, in Rosamond, California?

RELATED: Half-brother of Robert Fuller killed in a shootout with LASD deputies in Kern County

Undercover deputies say they tried to stop Boone, who was facing multiple criminal charges. They claim he came out of the car shooting. The deafening sound of the gun battle is in our story.

In the driver’s seat of that car, a woman who had her seven-year-old child in the back seat.

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Shellondra Thomas actually knew Robert Fuller and had dated his half brother, Boone, whom she was driving in the vehicle when deputies tried to stop them.

Her attorney says she was hit with shrapnel and is suing the sheriff's department, whose “tactics were wrong on this." 

Bradley Gave says deputies should have known that Boone, who was in fear of his life since the death of his brother,  would react badly to undercover vehicles suddenly stopping the car he was in, with undercover officers holding weapons.

No response from LA County Sheriff.

They are still investigating Fuller’s death, after the Black Lives Matter protests targeted them for releasing the possibility that it was a suicide, before doing an extensive investigation.

FOX 11 has learned that part of the investigation is a video from a nearby Dollar store, where a man resembling Fuller was seen buying a rope before his body was found.

The owner of the store does not want the location released, for fear of being targeted by protesters, but confirms that deputies did get the video. Fuller’s family attorneys say they have not seen any video, but have heard the rumors.

The coroner report has been sealed by the Sheriff, pending the completion of their investigation.