City officials in Palmdale, California, are calling for an independent investigation and autopsy for the death of Robert Fuller, a 24-year-old Black man who was found hanging from a tree near Palmdale City Hall earlier this week.
The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department initially tried to rule Fuller's death a suicide, but his family strongly believes he was lynched and has demanded a full investigation into what happened to him. The city of Palmdale eventually released a statement on Saturday afternoon saying that they stand by the Fuller family and will support the independent investigation.
City officials also claimed there were no working security cameras where Fuller was found hung.
Simple surveying of the area found, however, that there were several security cameras in the area where Fuller's body was found, and many are calling for the city to review that footage to find out what actually happened to him.
This is also the second Black man that was found hanging from a tree in California within the last two months. On May 31, 38-year-old Malcolm Harsch was also found in hanging from a tree in Victorville, California, and his death was also ruled a suicide.
Countless people have spoken up and voiced their outrage towards Robert Fuller's death, starting a Change.org petition demanding the police department do a better investigation. Celebrities like Viola Davis and others have also taken to social media to send their condolences to the Fuller family and calling for justice.
