Darius Smith was 15 and from Pasadena when he was shot on May 26, 2017, after an encounter in Arcadia with an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer. Smith and two other boys, ages 14 and 15, had left the Gold Line Metro Rail intending to attend the Monrovia Street Fair and followed a plainclothes federal officer who was carrying a backpack and another bag. The officer said the boys assaulted him and tried to rob him at gunpoint about a quarter mile from the station; he drew his duty weapon and fired.

Surveillance footage was reported to show the boys following the officer and Smith pointing a BB gun at the officer’s face. The officer said he was struck in the head multiple times and fired seven shots, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it corroborated that account. Smith’s family and their attorney, Lee Merritt, disputed the timeline, alleging Smith was shot after falling to the ground; investigators collected witness statements and ran DNA tests on the BB gun found near Smith. No charges were filed against the officer, who worked at San Francisco International Airport, was treated for facial bruises, and was released from a nearby hospital. Grief counselors were sent to Smith’s school and friends organized a fundraiser to help his mother with burial expenses.