JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville family is demanding answers in the sudden death of a 26-year-old man who was detained by police two days ago.
Jalen Lybrian Mays, 26, was detained by officers answering a disturbance call at a convenience store on Lane Avenue South about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Thursday.
Mays was having trouble breathing, so he was rushed to a hospital instead of the Duval County jail, according to preliminary details released by the Sheriff's Office. He died Thursday morning.
Two officers involved in the case were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
A JSO spokesperson said the case is under investigation. Among other things, the agency will review any available video and body camera footage, as well as a run-in Mays had prior to the officers' arrival.
The agency did not immediately notify media about Mays' death. In fact, News4Jax only learned of the incident once his family reached out in the hopes of getting answers about how he died.
“He meant the world to all of us,” said Mays’ mother, Jerry Lynette Clark. “He did not live a perfect life, but he was perfect to me in my eyes.”
The family is now calling for an autopsy and explanation as to what happened to Mays. Because an autopsy has not yet been performed, his cause and manner of death are not immediately clear.
Police said Mays resisted when an officer tried to remove him from the business Tuesday. A struggle ensued and the officer called for backup. Once a second officer arrived, Mays was placed in handcuffs.
Concerned about Mays' behavior, the officers called paramedics to check him out, according to police. While Mays was being loaded into an ambulance, police learned he was having difficulty breathing.
Mays was taken to Orange Park Medical Center, where police said his condition stabilized. The 26-year-old was detained under the Baker Act. On Thursday, police learned he had died at the hospital.
Mays' loved ones said officers told them Mays died of substance abuse. But they're not convinced. They questioned injuries including bruises and abrasions they noticed on his body after he died.
“What caused his organs to fail?” Clark wondered. “What caused him to go into cardiac arrest?”
News4Jax on Thursday visited the store where the incident is said to have taken place. A clerk there confirmed there was surveillance footage, but he said detectives took it with them.
“My brother was victimized,” said Mays' younger brother, Bri’Shod. “He did not deserve to get treated like that. Whatever it was, I’m sure it could’ve been handled a whole different way."
According to JSO, the two officers involved are S.R. Maddox, who's been with the agency since September 2016, and M.J. Reddish, who was hired in January 2013.
According to Maddox’s employment history with JSO, the Sheriff’s Office found in January 2018 that there was evidence to support that Maddox interfered with an investigation. He was given formal counseling.
Reddish’s JSO employment history shows he was given informal counseling and remedial training in March 2017 after a traffic crash. He was given formal counseling in April 2018 after an investigation into a complaint of rudeness. According to Reddish’s employment history, there were also two other citizen complaints that were found to be false and two others for which he was exonerated.
Relatives said they were assuming the worst with the death of the father of four.
“This happens on the regular,” said Bri’Shod Mays. “It seems to not be brought up to the public on a daily basis.”