MACCLENNY, Fla. – The son of a Baker County deputy believed to have shot and killed a 31-year-old man early last year has been arrested on charges of evidence tampering.
According to an arrest report obtained Wednesday, Dominic “DJ” Broadus II was killed by Gardner Fraser on Feb. 3, 2018, but Fraser claims he fired in self-defense.
Dominic Broadus Sr., the victim's father, has been waiting 15 months for answers.
"That was at least some relief but that doesn’t compensate for the loss of my son," Broadus Sr. said. "I miss mostly that I'll never be able to talk to him again,"
The homicide investigation was turned over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement because the suspect's father works for the Baker County Sheriff's Office.
Fraser called 911 that day to say a man attacked him in his home in a rural area of Baker County and he shot him several times. When asked if he knew the man, he said, “Ahh, I believe I do.”
According to the warrant, the two men were in an intimate relationship. Broadus’ family has called for homicide charges.
Broadus’ body was found in the south end of the Fraser home and investigators said it appeared the body was rolled over before law enforcement arrived.
FDLE said it appeared Broadus was holding a cellphone when he was shot. That cellphone was never located. Based on phone records, 21 minutes elapsed between a call between Broadus and Fraser and the report of the shooting.
There had been 115 phone calls and 35 text messages between the two men in the previous seven months, and some of the conversations were of a sexual nature and images were exchanged.
Fraser was arrested, but released on $100,000 bond. News4Jax called Frazer's listed number, but the person who answered hung up.