Family seeks answers in death of man after incident at Kohl's

Story updated at 5 p.m. with corrections from police stating the incident is not considered an armed robbery:

The brother of a man who died after an altercation with loss prevention staff at the Kohl's department store in Menifee Jan. 12 says he is getting conflicting reports from police on what happened that day.

Boye Tucker, who lives in Lancaster, told Menifee 24/7 he has not been given a cause of death for his brother, 38-year-old Roderick Williams of Compton, and that calls from multiple police officials have not given him clear answers surrounding the case. The only information released to the press before Friday was given to Menifee 24/7 the day of the incident by Sheriff's Department public information officer Mike Vasquez, which resulted in a Jan. 12 published story saying a suspect was transported to a hospital with injuries after an armed robbery attempt.

Friday, following further inquiries by Menifee 24/7, the Sheriff's Department issued a news release stating that Williams died on Jan. 14, two days after being hospitalized. According to the news release, Williams became unresponsive after being admitted to the hospital Jan. 12. He received emergency treatment but died two days later.

"We're still trying to get more information because we don't know what's going on," Tucker said in an interview Friday, before the news release was issued. "From what I'm hearing from some sources, he died at the scene. An officer then said he died days later. I've gotten multiple officers calling me with inconsistencies in their stories."

The initial news release issued Friday referred to the incident as an armed robbery and said that it was being investigated as a homicide. About two hours later, the press release was updated, removing the term "armed" from the title. At about the same time, Vasquez tried to clarify the confusion in a phone interview with Menifee 24/7.

According to Vasquez, after further investigation and confirmation, it has been determined that the suspect did not use a weapon during the incident. He said the case is being investigated as a "pre-booking death". Neither was there a weapon used in the apprehension of the suspect, he said. The cause of death has not been determined.

According to Friday's updated news release, officers from the Menifee Police Department responded at 12:04 p.m. Jan. 12 to a business in the 30200 block of Haun Road. The business has been identified by Tucker and witnesses as the Kohl's department store in Countryside Marketplace. Officers located an adult male, later identified as Williams, detained by the loss prevention staff.

Officers were told that Williams entered the business, removed items from their packaging and left the store without paying, according to the news release. Loss prevention contacted Williams in the parking lot and a physical altercation ensued. Williams was detained until officers arrived.

The report also states that Williams had injuries "possibly due to the altercation" and paramedics were called. Officers transported the suspect to a local hospital, where he became unresponsive.

The news release does not state whether there was more than one loss prevention officer involved in the altercation. A manager on duty at Kohl's would not comment when contacted by Menifee 24/7 on Friday. Vasquez said the case is being investigated as a robbery rather than shoplifting because of "force or fear" used during the physical altercation outside the store.

Tucker said he had no idea why his brother was in Menifee on that day. He said the family usually heard from Williams daily but that a missing persons report was filed after there had been no word from him for three days. Tucker said he was initially contacted by law enforcement in Los Angeles County, where the report was filed, and referred to Riverside County law enforcement.

"We're planning the funeral now," Tucker said. "The body was just released to us today. We have no other details. My brother had no health problems. Why is there so much mystery about this?"

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact them at 951-955-2777.