JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An attorney for the family of the man who was shot and killed by a Jacksonville police officer during a pursuit announced he is considering all legal options and called for the sheriff’s office to be held accountable for his death.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released bodycam videos Thursday that offered multiple perspectives on the fatal officer-involved shooting that sparked an outpouring of community concern.
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Harry Daniels is DeJuane Hayden’s family’s lawyer. Daniels also represented Le’Keian Woods after his violent arrest was caught on camera in 2023.
Daniels said the sheriff’s office illegally gunned Hayden down “while he posed no immediate threat to the officer or anyone else” and added that the “shooting creates a dangerous precedent for every Floridian.”
Hayden, 30, ran away from officers as they approached a group of “known gang members” who they said they saw “flashing guns” in front of a convenience store on Justina Road.
Since Hayden was a convicted felon it was illegal for him to have a gun, police said.
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Officer Bradley Griffitts ran behind Hayden. In the video, JSO emphasized that Hayden pulled out a gun, which prompted Griffitts to immediately shoot him.
“At no point in the video or the accompanying narration does Hayden point a gun or any other weapon at Officer Griffitts,” Daniels said. “Despite what the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office wants to believe, they don’t get to kill anyone who has a gun. The fact is that Dejuane was running away. He didn’t point the gun at Officer Griffitts or anyone else. He posed no threat.”
Daniels said he is not arguing against the fact that Hayden had a gun in the video, but he also pointed out that a convicted felon possessing a firearm is “only a status crime.”
“No one is disputing that he had a gun or that he shouldn’t have. But the JSO doesn’t get to kill someone over a status crime. They don’t get to shoot someone in the back because they’re running for their lives and it looks like they’re going to get away. If they do, any of us could have a target on our backs,” Daniels said.
Daniels and Hayden’s family will consider all legal options, including a potential civil lawsuit.