JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Community Action Committee, along with family members of Dejaune Hayden, held a rally on Saturday to “demand justice” for the 30-year-old, who was shot and killed by JSO officer Bradley Griffitts in Arlington on Oct. 10.
The rally, which was held at 2 p.m. along the steps of the JSO Memorial Building, saw people demanding that Officer Griffitts be fired, that the police gang unit be disbanded, and more overall police accountability.
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It was also a chance for Hayden‘s family to combat something the JSO said.
“JSO portrayed [Hayden] as a gang member. He was not a gang member,” Dejaune Hayden’s brother Brandon Boyd said. “We weren’t out there shooting at people, we weren’t killing people...As soon as they see two or three people they label it as a gang.”
On Oct. 10, around 4 p.m., Jacksonville police officers said they conducted a surveillance operation on “some known gang members” who were engaged in drug-related activities and were “flashing guns back and forth.”
As JSO officers approached the group, they said two men complied with their commands, but a third, later identified as Hayden, did not and took off running.
Police said Hayden drew his gun, and a pursuing officer fired four times, hitting him once. Hayden then went to the ground and dropped the gun.
JSO adds that Hayden, who was injured in the shooting, continued to run away from the officer and jumped a wall.
Shortly after, officers were able to find him and take him into custody before beginning to treat him for his injuries.
Related: JCAC calls for ‘full transparency’ from JSO in deadly police-involved shooting in Arlington
Hayden was then taken to a nearby hospital where medical staff declared him dead.
JSO said it was aware of a video circulating on social media that allegedly showed the moment the JSO officer started shooting at Hayden, but one day later, the agency said the video was misleading and was not recorded where the shooting happened.
News4JAX reached out to JSO, mentioning that the family refutes the notion that Hayden was a gang member and asked if they could share the earliest time they have him listed as a gang member. When a response is received, an update will be provided.