JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a video circulating on social media appeared to show a glimpse of what turned out to be a police-involved shooting in Arlington, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it does not show the full picture.
Police said officers were doing surveillance on “some known gang members” who were “flashing guns back and forth” and engaging in drug-related activities near Justina Road on Thursday.
JSO said when they moved in, one of the men pulled out his gun, leading the officer to shoot him. The man identified as 30-year-old Dejuane Aki Hayden died at the hospital.
The video making its rounds online has some people in the community demanding answers from JSO about what led to the shooting.
The sheriff’s office said that the video was misleading.
“The public should be aware that this video was not recorded where the shooting actually occurred and does not capture the events that led to the officer’s use of force," JSO said in a statement.
News4JAX made an editorial decision not to show the video until the bodycam footage is released, but we talked to our Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney about it.
He explained how it could play a role in the investigation.
“It sometimes seems kind of productive, the more video. When you can identify the players, and if that played, if this video or this stream played any part in what the sheriff’s office was there investigating," Hackney said. “If there’s a recording of that as well, that’s going to give some credence to why the sheriff’s office was there.
Hackney also said videos like this can help or hurt the investigation. A lot of the community members have spoken out about JSO releasing the bodycam footage.
JSO said it will release the footage of “critical incidents” within 21 days.
"They may be looking to identify everybody in the in the videos. Because you have two sets of videos here: You have the Facebook video there, then, and maybe they’re working to identify from that side, who they are before they release the body-worn camera," Hackney said.
He emphasized that law enforcement takes certain steps on a case-by-case basis before releasing bodycam footage.