TEMPE, Ariz. - The mother of Dalvin Hollins, who was shot and killed by Tempe police Wednesday, stood in front of media members Friday calling for justice for her son.
"I want the person who killed my son to say 'sorry' ... to my face," Sarah Coleman said.
Coleman was joined by other family members, community members and Rev. Jarrett Maupin.
Maupin organized the news conference and took the lead with most of the speaking.
He said the family was outraged and called the shooting an "unjustifiable slaying," adding there's "no legitimate explanation" for the incident.
Hollins was shot after, police say, he robbed a Walgreens and ran away when officers attempted to approach him.
Hollins was shot in a confrontation with one of the officers and then barricaded himself in a senior center. He later died from the gunshot wound.
The officer involved did not turn on his body-camera until after the shooting. Hollins was shot in the back 15 to 20 feet from the officer, according to police.
After the shooting, police searched for a gun they believed Hollins had, but they never found one. Tempe police chief Sylvia Moir confirmed in a news conference Friday that officers were responding to calls of an armed robbery at the Walgreens.
Police told reporters Friday that the officer, Lt. Edward Ouimette, shot after Hollins turned back to him during a chase. According to police, Ouimette thought Hollins was reaching for a gun when he turned.
Maupin and others at the family's press conference emphasized the lack of body-camera footage.
"We don't give a damn what was on that camera after the shooting," he said.
Maupin said Hollins suffered from mental health issues and said officers are not trained to deal with that type of situation.
"Punishment for robbing Walgreens or Wells Fargo should not be the death penalty," he said.
Maupin released the name of the officer he said shot Hollins and alleged the officer had a history of mental health issues of his own.
12 News initially reached out to Tempe police, but they would not confirm Maupin's statements.
In a news conference later in the day Friday, Tempe police said the officer involved was the 52-year-old Ouimette, a 19-year veteran of the Tempe police force.
Sharell Council of an organization called Millennials: We Are The Change, discussed dealing with mental health and spoke in support of Hollins and his family.
She called for an end to the "blue wall of silence," as did Maupin, and called for young people to come forward.
"Let's create some change," she said. "Let's make them hear us."
When asked if they believe race had something to do with the outcome, the family said "yes."
Coleman said the Tempe chief of police (Moir) reached out to her, but she did not return the call.