Family of Slain Baltimore Arabber Files Civil Suit, Demands Criminal Charges

The family of Bilal "B.J." Abdullah, a 36-year-old arabber who sold produce from a horse-drawn cart and was shot and killed by Baltimore City police last summer, filed a five-count civil lawsuit against the officers involved in his death and publicly demanded criminal charges at a press conference Wednesday.

Abdullah was shot around 7:30 p.m. on June 17, 2025, near the Upton Metro station on Lauren and Pennsylvania Avenue. Police said three officers fired shots at him, releasing body-worn camera footage that showed Abdullah pulling a gun from his bag during a struggle, firing it, dropping it, then picking it up and raising it again. According to police, Abdullah fired three shots and struck one officer in the foot. Police said officers fired 38 rounds in return. Abdullah was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The civil complaint filed by the family includes five counts. Three counts named in reporting are wrongful death, battery, and violations of constitutional rights. The family is also calling on the Maryland Office of the Attorney General to reverse its decision and file criminal charges against the officers involved. The attorney general has declined to file charges, according to WBAL.

Family attorney Alec Summerfield said the stakes extend beyond this case. "We need these officers to be held accountable and not just left to go back on the streets so they can kill more residents of this city," Summerfield said.

Abdullah's brother Taj Abdullah challenged the official account at the press conference. "Our biggest issue is this: we want the public to know that the probable cause and the reason for them approaching these black men has yet to be received, has yet to be confirmed," he said. "We got zero evidence to prove what they're saying is true."

Abdullah's mother, Joy Alston, rejected the police's characterization of her son as a threat. "They said he was a threatening person. They got pictures of him smiling with food in his hand. They got a picture of him sitting over the thing, not bothering anyone," Alston said. She told CBS Baltimore that "he was slaughtered like he was a pig in the street," and told reporters at the press conference, "He was murdered by Baltimore City police by their badge."

His sister Najla Abdullah had spoken at an earlier rally following the shooting. "My brother did not deserve this. He did not deserve this," she said. "We look to them to support and protect us, and they took my brother away from me, my siblings. My mother is hurting. We want justice. Those officers knew what they wanted to do. They knew, and we want justice."

The family also alleges the same officer was involved in the shooting death of Dwight Hawkins the previous month, in which two officers fired 17 shots at Hawkins following a foot chase during which police suspected he was armed, according to WMAR. The family has not received confirmation of probable cause in either encounter, Taj Abdullah said.