The mother of a man shot by an Adams County sheriff’s deputy said Friday that the deputy should have used his Taser instead of a gun to control her unarmed son, who panicked and ran when he saw a law enforcement officer because he missed a court mandated drug test.
“Now he’s dead. In a blink of an eye he is gone. At 19 my son lost his life,” said Andrea Feltman, 37, referring to her son Kyler “KyKy” Grabbingbear. “Native American lives matter.”
By all accounts, including by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the confrontation that led to Grabbingbear’s shooting death was a matter of chance.
A deputy had responded to an emergency call to an apartment next to where Grabbingbear was at 3:34 a.m. Thursday. That's when ADCSO said a deputy heard some type of disturbance in the Grabbingbear's apartment.
Feltman said Grabbingbear lived with his girlfriend and her mother at the apartment complex. According to Feltman, she was told Grabbinbear's girlfriend was not home at the time.
Feltman said she was told Kyler may have been arguing with his girlfriend's mother, during that time he walked out of his apartment door. Feltman said that's when Grabbingbear ran, she said Grabbingbear was then chased by the deputy and they got into a fight, that's when the deputy ultimately shot and killed Grabbingbear.
"My son died of a single shot to the left upper chest, just below the collar bone," Feltman said. "My son was unarmed."
Feltman believes her son was wrongfully killed.
"The deputy could have done something else, he didn't have to use deadly force," Feltman said.
Feltman said Grabbingbear may have ran when he saw deputies because he missed a court mandated drug test.
"He didn't want to go to jail, he was trying to cause any harm," Feltman said. "My baby didn't deserve this. He's not a bad person, there's so many people that cared about him. It's so unfortunate that this is what happened in order for him to see how many people care for him. He was a good kid."
Feltman said all she is thinking about is how she is going to bury her only son. Her friends and family have created a GoFundMe page to help for the arrangements.
Feltman said she will be seeking an attorney to help her move forward with legal options in this case.
