A federal judge has given a San Diego mother the green light to keep fighting over her son’s death in county custody, refusing to shut down her wrongful‑death lawsuit at an early stage.
U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez on March 20 denied San Diego County’s bid to dismiss the suit filed by 29‑year‑old Abdul Kamara’s mother, Fredrika Nabbie, according to The San Diego Union‑Tribune. The complaint, which names county officials and deputies, was filed in federal court in January 2025, per Justia Dockets & Filings.
County records and local reporting show Kamara’s final hours began the night of March 2, 2024, when he was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas for mental‑health and medical concerns and then walked away. Deputies later found him crawling in a Cardiff parking lot and arrested him on suspicion of being under the influence. According to a county update and local coverage, deputies brought him to the Vista Detention Facility, called for paramedics after he injured his face in the patrol car, and then used a WRAP full‑body restraint after he began “kicking and flailing.” Paramedics started life‑saving measures when Kamara became unresponsive, and he was pronounced dead at Tri‑City Medical Center in the early hours of March 4; see the city press release and reporting by Times of San Diego.
The federal complaint alleges that deputies ignored clear medical risks during that window. It says staff kept Kamara face‑down despite booking protocols that favor an upright position and that six deputies spent about seven minutes securing the WRAP while placing weight on his body, according to the filing and court coverage. Paramedics at the jail recorded his blood pressure at 79/51 before he lost consciousness, the complaint states. The medical examiner later ruled the cause of death a mix of methamphetamine use and complications from sickle‑cell disease, with the manner of death listed as accidental. The lawsuit also notes Kamara had been hospitalized in February 2024 for rhabdomyolysis, as reported by The San Diego Union‑Tribune.
"I brought my son here from Africa 15 years ago for safety," Nabbie told reporters at a December news conference where relatives demanded video footage and answers, according to KPBS. Hoodline previously covered the family's December news conference and the initial legal claim that preceded the federal lawsuit.
Legal implications
In their motion to dismiss, county defendants argued deputies could not be held liable because they ultimately summoned medical help. Judge Benitez declined to toss key claims, allowing core constitutional and state‑law causes of action to move forward so the case can proceed into the evidence‑gathering phase, according to the federal docket and related filings. The suit lands amid broader scrutiny of medical and mental‑health care in San Diego County jails, where officials have been weighing major upgrades and restructuring under pressure from class‑action litigation and reform advocates. See the court docket on Justia Dockets & Filings and coverage of county jail upgrade talks by NBC 7 San Diego.
Attorneys for Kamara’s family say the judge’s order opens the door to discovery that could pull in body‑worn camera video, jail surveillance footage and medical records. Sheriff’s officials, who have said the in‑custody death remains under investigation, did not immediately respond to media questions about releasing any footage or about the recent court ruling, according to reporting by KPBS.
