JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Police body-worn camera footage has been released in the officer-involved shooting death of 37-year-old Daniel Neal in February.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released a 2 minute and 44-second portion of the body camera video on its YouTube page June 21 after the State Attorney’s Office determined doing so would not hinder its investigation of the incident.
The video shows officers running after Neal after responding to a robbery call. Officers identify themselves as police and yell for Neal to get on the ground. Two shots are then heard.
When the shooing first happened on Feb. 21, Chief of Investigations T.K. Waters said a detective was working an investigation into a string of armed robberies in the San Jose area.
At 5:53 a.m., while officers were conducting surveillance at an apartment complex, there was a 911 report of a robbery at a nearby complex.
Waters said not long after the call, officers saw a suspect running toward the apartment complex they were watching on Old Kings Road South. According to Waters, Detective J.G. Bennett, a 13-year veteran, told Neal to stop and announced he was the police, Waters said.
Waters said Neal didn’t stop, tried to go into an apartment and had a stolen gun. When he tried to enter the apartment, Waters says, Bennett fired two shots that hit Neal. Neal later died.
Bennett was placed on administrative leave, per JSO protocol.
First Coast News has asked JSO whether Bennett remains on leave, and also why the video was released now. The State Attorney’s Office cleared it for release in April. It is still investigating whether the shooting was justifiable.
At the time, Neal’s family expressed concerns about the public release of the video. A family attorney told First Coast News the family no longer objects to its release.
“They want people to know that Daniel was a loving father, a beloved son, a wonderful sibling,” said attorney Christine Michel. “He was his mom’s oldest son. He was respectful and helpful. He never complained about helping people. He lit up rooms when he entered. He was a one-of-a-kind kind of person. They’re completely devastated.”
According to Michel, the mother of Neal’s daughter watched the body-worn camera video in April.
That version, Michel said, was different than the one posted on JSO’s YouTube page. Michel said it was about the same length, but was not identical and seemed to be from a different angle. FCN asked JSO what was edited between the two videos and requested all of the body-worn camera video and are waiting to hear back.
Neal’s mother and daughter haven’t seen the video, and Michel said his mother never wants to watch it. In April, however, his mother and daughter gave permission to release the video publicly.
“They want answers. They want to know why running is enough, that’s enough for an officer to take your life,” Michel said.
Michel said they asked JSO and the State Attorney’s Office to notify them before it was released, however. She said that wasn’t done.
“It’s unfortunate because I think that was a small courtesy that they were asking for and that wasn’t granted,” Michel said. “It does put them on guard a little bit about how the situation is going to be handled.”
“The communication has been consistent [with the SAO and JSO]. It’s not as if they haven’t been in communication or don’t know who to contact, so it’s just a little unfortunate for us that that occurred without them being informed first,” Michel said. “I thought that that was a small ask that wasn’t lived up to,” she said.
When FCN asked the State Attorney’s Office whether the family was notified of the video’s release, a spokesperson said it was JSO’s decision to release the video, and he wasn’t sure the reasoning for the timing.
The State Attorney’s Office, he said, only provides recommendations to JSO on whether releasing the video will affect an investigation.
We will update this story when more information becomes available.