A Florida sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a fleeing Black man in the back earlier this month after the man pulled a gun from his waistband.
However, body camera footage released on Thursday reveals that 30-year-old Dejuane Hayden never aimed the gun at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office deputy.
Now, Hayden’s family has hired an attorney who is exploring legal action against the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the officer involved, Bradley Griffitts. Griffitts was one of six officers who shot and killed another Black man, Phillipe Periera, in 2020, all of whom were cleared by prosecutors.
“At no point in the video or its accompanying narration does Hayden point a gun or any other weapon at Officer Griffitts,” attorney Harry Daniels told News4Jax.
“Despite what the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office might believe, they do not have the right to kill anyone simply for possessing a gun,” Daniels asserted. “The reality is that Dejuane was running away. He didn’t point the gun at Officer Griffitts or anyone else. He posed no threat.”
Mike Shell, chief of professional standards for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, emphasized that Hayden was prohibited from carrying a gun due to prior felony convictions.
“Hayden was a four-time convicted felon, having served time in Florida state prison for charges including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and carrying a concealed firearm,” Shell stated in a critical incident report video posted on the department’s YouTube channel.
“As a convicted felon, Hayden was legally barred from possessing a firearm. He was also a documented gang member of the now-inactive 3200 block group and was a target in Operation Wrap-Up.”
Shell explained that Operation Wrap-Up, which began in 2018, focused on felons displaying firearms in music videos shared on social media. Watch the two-minute video below.
The Shooting
The incident occurred on October 10 as Jacksonville sheriff’s officers were surveilling a group of Black men speaking into a Facebook livestream video.
Shell claimed the men were brandishing guns, though this is not visible in the video shared by the sheriff’s office. Instead, the footage shows them joking around and interacting with viewers.
Voices from the officers can be heard off-camera, ordering the men to “get on the ground.”
One man, who identified himself as Hayden’s brother, immediately knelt with his hands in the air. However, Hayden took off running, prompting a foot chase.
The shooting itself was not captured on the livestream video, aside from the off-camera gunshots.
“Y’all just shot my little brother, bro! Y’all just shot my little brother!” exclaimed Brandon Boyd, who was arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, armed possession of marijuana, and improper exhibition of a firearm.
However, the shooting was recorded on Griffitts’ body camera.
“During the foot pursuit, Officer Griffitts commanded Hayden to stop running multiple times,” Shell explained in the critical incident report.
“Instead of complying, Hayden continued to flee and pulled a firearm from his waistband. When Officer Griffitts saw the gun in Hayden’s right hand, he yelled, ‘Gun, gun, gun,’ and fired his JSO-issued firearm, hitting Hayden,” Shell continued. “Hayden fell to the ground, dropping the gun.”
After the shooting, Hayden got back up and ran, leaving the gun where he had fallen. He eventually collapsed on the front porch of a house, where other officers arrested him.
He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“No one disputes that he had a gun or that he shouldn’t have had it,” said attorney Daniels, representing Hayden’s family.
“But the JSO doesn’t have the right to kill someone over a status crime,” Daniels continued. “They can’t shoot someone in the back just because they’re running for their lives and it seems like they might escape. If that’s the case, any of us could find ourselves as a target.”
Shell noted that the investigation could take up to a year to determine if the shooting was justified.
“We are still in the very early stages of this investigation,” he stated. “Our understanding of this incident may evolve as more evidence is gathered and reviewed. We do not draw any conclusions about whether the officer acted appropriately concerning the law or JSO policy until all facts are known and the investigation is complete.”
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