Update: The white officer who shot and killed 26-year-old father Diante Yarber was convicted of a hate crime eight years ago, according to Yarber's attorneys. 

In video of Yarber's killing, Officer Jimmie Walker can be heard yelling a racial slur at the young man. In 2010, the officer acted in a similar manner when he hurled racial slurs at two people and assaulted them, although not fatally — he was able to keep his job. Walker joined the force approximately a year prior to committing the hate crime. 

Original story: Only weeks after the fatal police shooting of Stephon Clark, we sadly have another shooting by California police to report. Diante Yarber, a 26-year-old father of three, was killed after California police fired what witnesses say were over 30 shots at him in a Walmart parking lot. The killing took place in Barstow, two hours outside of Los Angeles. A 23-year-old woman was also injured due to the incident. 

Yarber was driving his cousin and their friends to a local Walmart on the morning of April 5 when police approached him in the parking lot, claiming that he was "wanted for questioning" in regards to a stolen vehicle case, The Guardian reports. Police claim Yarber “suddenly reversed the vehicle” and "accelerated" the car toward the officers at the scene.

"Officers believed the driver was a subject wanted for questioning in a recent crime involving a stolen vehicle," read a San Bernandino county sheriff department press release. "Officers attempted a traffic stop of the Mustang when the driver suddenly reversed the vehicle and struck one of the patrol cars. When the driver again accelerated toward the officers and struck a second patrol car, the officer involved shooting occurred. Two of the four occupants were struck by gunfire."

However, his family and the family's attorney, Lee Merritt claim Diante was unarmed and posed no threat. The family also say the car Yarber was driving, which belongs to his cousin, showed no signs of hitting any other cars. They add that the car had not been reported stolen.

“They saw a car full of black people sitting in front of a Walmart, and they decided that was suspicious,” Merritt said. “They just began pouring bullets … It’s irresponsible. It’s dangerous. It’s mind-boggling, the use of force.”

Yarber's family maintains that he should have never been stopped in the first place, and ask why police opened fire on the vehicle, given that officers are trained to never fire at a moving vehicle for fear of hitting a passenger or innocent bystander.

The injured young woman's attorney Dale Galipo also noted that investigative reports so far show that officers were aware that Yarber was unarmed, and that officers were not in the path of the car. Galipo said his client suffered “serious injuries,” adding, “She’s still in a state of shock.”

“The police took him away for no reason,” noted Brittany Chandler, the mother of Diante's 19-month-old daughter, Leilani. “The police should be held accountable for this … they are sick people for them to be able to shoot someone down in broad daylight.” Chandler, who is white, said she believes the officers shot because Yarber was black, arguing, "They would’ve never drawn their guns on me.” 

“He would always make you smile, no matter what,” said Samantha Robledo, who has a seven-year-old daughter with Diante named Naliyah. “You couldn’t be angry around him. He was so loving and friendly, and that’s what we’re going to miss the most.” Robledo added that she has tried her best to help Naliyah cope with her father's death. Of Diante, the young girl says, “He’s my angel now.”

According to Yarber's aunt, Aleta Yarber, his cousin (who was in the car during the shooting) is also having trouble processing Diante's death.

“He has not been able to say much of anything,” Aleta Yarber said. “It was very traumatizing.”

A police spokeswoman confirmed “involved officers” are on “paid administrative leave,” but refused to release the total number of bullets fired at the scene.