JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A national civil rights leader is demanding an independent investigation into the Nov. 17 officer-involved shooting that ended when a Black 18-year-old shot himself, then was fired at by four Jacksonville officers after a tense standoff on San Juan Avenue.
Bishop Tavis Grant, national field secretary for the Rainbow Push Coalition, is joining local civil rights groups in pushing for the release of all bodycam video from that night as well as engaging city leaders in discussions about the community's concerns about police.
Duval County's medical examiner and the Sheriff's Office both said Devon Tillman Gregory shot himself first, as it appears evident on one officer's bodycam video released of the traffic stop of three young Black men.
Yet Grant said Mayor Lenny Curry has "rudely ignored" requests to talk with him or coalition founder the Rev. Jesse Jackson about the case or claims of police brutality in Duval County.
"The mayor has apparently decided not to provide Southern hospitality to Rev. Jackson and his Rainbow Push civil rights organization," the bishop said.
He said the information is insufficient and what has been released is inconclusive.
"We want all the bodycam and dashcam video to be released as well as the 911 and dispatch audio," Grant said. "... The explanation has not been clear how this went from a traffic stop, then accelerated into someone losing their life. We have questions about probable cause."
The sheriff's and mayor's offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the push for an independent investigation and other demands. But the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Community Action Committee, First Coast Leadership Foundation, New Florida Majority, Jacksonville Progressive Coalition, Black Lives Matter and others have joined the Rainbow Push Coalition's demand, said Ben Frazier, head of one of those groups.
Frazier said the city must "grab the bull by the horns" and start addressing their concerns about police brutality in Jacksonville.
"We cannot begin to fix these problems as long as city officials refuse to admit they exist," said Frazier, head of the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville. "We must begin to eradicate racial discrimination in law enforcement and racial bias in the criminal justice system."
Gregory was a passenger in a car stopped late Nov. 17 on San Juan Avenue. The Sheriff's Office has not specified the violation that saw a Zone 4 task force pull the car over. But a left rear window appears to be broken on the purple car on bodycam video from one of four officers involved released by the Sheriff's Office after the shooting.
The video shows Gregory was very agitated during the stop, leaning down with his right hand hidden toward the floor or beneath the seat. Repeated efforts are made by the officers to defuse the situation as Gregory screams that he loves the two others with him and to tell his mother he loves her.
Gregory is repeatedly ordered to show his hands as he pleads to be left alone. He is seen ultimately burying his head between his knees before a shot is heard. Gregory's head appears to jerk backward before multiple more shots are fired instantly by all four white officers around the car.
The coalition was founded by Jackson to protect civil rights and promote peace and justice throughout the world. Grant has worked with the families of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor and Jacob Lake, all victims of recent officer-involved shootings in other parts of the country. He and Jackson have called for a special prosecutor in the Gregory case and an investigation of the entire Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, pointing to multiple officer-involved shootings in the city in recent years.
Gregory's shooting marked the 14th suspect shot by Jacksonville police this year, with nine ending up dead, according to Times-Union records. It is the most since 2009 when 15 people were shot by police, leaving nine dead.
Grant said the Sheriff's Office must be investigated and wants the next attorney general to "take this case on as a priority."
"They should not be investigating themselves," he said. "There is just no reason or logical explanation for 35 shots. From our independent forensic investigation, Devon had three or four shots to the head. It is just unconscionable to think, why would four trained officers behave this way and how can this behavior be acceptable?"
As to the medical examiner's report that Gregory shot himself, along with the implication that the first shot heard was his as the young man's head jerked upward, Grant said they believe that is inconclusive.
"We believe an independent autopsy is indicating something other than what the medical examiner did, in what was a rush to give a statement in the midst of an investigation," Grant said. "This was too graphic in video, let alone in how it actually culminated, for anybody to give an opinion."
Grant's comments and his attempts to meet with the mayor came a day before multiple civil rights groups were to gather with Kevin O'Connor, the Gregory family's attorney, for a noon Friday news conference at City Hall about his shooting death.
A community celebration of life for Gregory is set for 5 p.m. Friday at Sarah L. Carter’s Funeral Home at 6665 Kings Road. A "Justice for Devon and All Victims of Police Brutality" rally will be at 6 p.m. at the Duval County Courthouse at 501 W. Adams St.
Grant presides over Gregory's funeral at 11 a.m. Saturday, with burial at Restlawn Cemeteries South.
Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549
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