JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The family of a man who died after an incident involving nine Duval County jail officers last week expressed anger and frustration over the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s decision to publish a “heavily redacted” report on Monday.
The attorney representing Charles Faggart, who died on Thursday following the incident involving eight correctional officers and one sergeant, said the family was not notified before the report was published Monday afternoon.
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“They have learned everything they know alongside the rest of the community — and that is simply unacceptable," Attorney Belkis Plata wrote in a statement.
Plata also noted the report is based entirely on the accounts of the very officers who are under investigation.
“The fact that this is the narrative being presented to the public, while the family continues to sit in the dark is devastating,” Plata’s statement says.
JSO shared a statement on social media along with the redacted incident report that gives some insight into what happened last Monday before Faggart, 31, was transported to a hospital with critical injuries. He died days later.
The readable sections of the report paint the picture of a chaotic scene where officers said Faggart was acting so aggressively he had to be restrained in a safety chair. Officers also said they witnessed him having what appeared to be a seizure.
“As we understand that a critical incident such as this generates questions and concerns, we want our community to have all the available information as soon as possible while maintaining the integrity of the criminal investigation. To that end, the information in the report has been redacted to maintain the integrity of the investigation,” JSO’s statement reads in part.
RELATED| Click here to read the redacted incident report
The report indicates that the incident began around 7 a.m. on Monday, April 7.
However, Plata said on Monday that Faggart’s family did not receive a call from JSO until the next day, around 6 p.m, “when a JSO detective simply told them to ‘watch the news.‘”
The sheriff’s office also released the names of the eight correctional officers and a correctional sergeant who were removed from their positions amid the investigation.
The officers’ names and identification numbers are:
- Sgt. W.H. Cox #76320
- Ofc. T.C. Pennamon #88613
- Ofc. G.L. Mckinnis #86574
- Ofc. D.D. Thomas #82590
- Ofc. M.E. Sullivan #84331
- Ofc. P.L. Collins #88641
- Ofc. A.K. Maygoo #88643
- Ofc. E. Kurtovic #84333
- Ofc. J.J. Bullard #88012
On Sunday, Faggart’s family spoke at a peaceful protest held on the steps of the JSO Memorial Building, demanding answers and “justice for Charles.”
“I am so thankful for the 31 years I got with him, but I should have gotten at least 31 more, and I’m sorry I can’t speak anymore,” Tracey Karpas, Faggart’s mom, said through tears.
A day before Faggart’s death, Sheriff T.K. Waters said he formally requested the Jacksonville Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to help investigate the incident.
According to JSO, once the criminal investigation ends, the sheriff’s office will also administratively review the incident to determine if policies and/or procedures were followed correctly by staff.
