Lucia Morejon cannot escape the haunting memory she has of the final desperate words spoken to her by her teenage son after he was shot by police: "Mommy, Mommy, please come, please come."
Hector Morejon, the youngest of five children, made that plea for help after he was shot by a Long Beach, California, police officer, who allegedly thought the 19-year-old was in possession of a firearm Thursday afternoon.
The teen, who Lucia Morejon's attorney says was unarmed, directed the cries for help toward his mother when she saw him in an ambulance directly after the shooting.
His final words to his mother came, the attorney alleges, after police denied Lucia Morejon access to her son before the ambulance drove away.
"He was reaching for her -- reaching out to her for help," lawyer Sonia Mercado told The Huffington Post. "She identified herself as his mother, expecting to ride with him to the hospital, but they refused to let her in."
The chilling words -- "Mommy, Mommy, please come, please come" -- are the same words Lucia Morejon hears when she closes her eyes today, five days after her son's death, Mercado said.
"It’s a tough thing to live with as a parent," said Mercado.
Mercado said Lucia Morejon is so distraught by her son's death that she is unable to speak about it and has asked Mercado and her associate, R. Samuel Paz, to speak on her behalf.
"She is deeply in shock," Mercado said.
According to the Long Beach Police Department, the shooting occurred after officers were dispatched to a vacant residence in the 1100 block of Hoffman Avenue on Thursday, to investigate a report of trespassing and vandalism.
When the officers arrived, they allegedly looked through an open window and saw Hector Morejon standing inside the residence.
"The officer observed [Morejon] turn towards him, while bending his knees, and extending his arm out as if pointing an object which the officer perceived was a gun," Long Beach police said in a Friday press release.
"At this point, an officer involved shooting occurred," the release continued.
Morejon, who was in critical condition when he was admitted to a local hospital, was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
According to police, "a weapon was not recovered from the scene."
HECTOR MOREJON: (Story Continues Below)
Mercado said authorities have remained tight-lipped about the shooting and have refused to reveal how many times Morejon was shot.
"The only thing [they have provided us with] is the same worn out excuse -- 'I thought I saw a gun,'" Mercado told HuffPost.
Mercado said the family would like the Long Beach Police Department to ask the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an independent investigation to show they are being "fully transparent."
Contacted by HuffPost on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Long Beach police said an independent investigation is currently being conducted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
"Anytime we have an officer involved shooting, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office responds to the scene and they conduct their own independent investigation, and the reason they do that is to see if there is anything criminal on the officer's part," the spokeswoman said. "So they are the ones who decide ultimately if any charges would be filed against the officer."
Mercado said the current investigation is "clearly a conflict of interest."
"We often find in these cases that evidence was lost or destroyed," the attorney said. "The public is entitled to know how this happened. Therefore, this investigation should go to an independent inquest by the Department of Justice or another police department."
Mercado added, "The family is very concerned and wants justice and accountability."
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.