JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The family of a man killed by a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office police officer is demanding answers.
JSO identified 32-year-old Michael Leon Hughes as the man who was shot by an officer at a Westside hotel on Tuesday.
First Coast News spoke with Hughes’ family members who are distraught after learning of the deadly confrontation.
They do not believe that Hughes allegedly taking a taser should’ve been met with deadly force.
Sh’mel Walker, who says helped raise Hughes when he was in school, is married to Hughes’ cousin.
Walker says that Hughes often lived with her growing up in the Charlotte area.
“He loved his family, he was staying with us while he was in high school, while we were at work, he would get the kids off the bus for us,” Walker recalls.
She won’t forget the phone call she received on Tuesday.
“It broke my heart…I screamed, because like I said he stayed in my house and when I saw the police interview and the police [said] he pulled out his taser, well a taser and a gun don’t equal up to me,” Walker said.
JSO says it is still investigating the shooting at the Quality Inn. Police initially received four domestic disturbance calls to the hotel. The final call came around 12:37 p.m.
When officers arrived, JSO Chief of Investigations TK Waters said a female inside the room told police the man tried the push the door open after he left earlier.
Officers spoke with the man and say he refused to follow the officer’s commands.
Walker says she doesn’t believe Hughes would act that way.
“That’s not the person he is on the daily, Mike is a sweetheart, Mike wasn’t raised that way, he was raised in a church,” Walker said.
JSO says after officers on scene tried to arrest Hughes—a fight started. After Hughes allegedly grabbed and used an officer’s taser, officer Jesse Wing shot him.
Walker feels that is not the right response.
“I’m not saying it was right to pull the police taser, but at the same time like I said, a bullet don’t match a taser,” Walker said.
After the first shot, police say Hughes continued to advance and the officer shot him multiple times.
Hughes was then handcuffed before officers gave him CPR. Police say Hughes died at the scene.
First Coast News has requested the JSO police on handcuffing a suspect after they are shot before rendering aid.
JSO says Chief Waters did see the body cam video of the shooting before he spoke to the media.
The State Attorney’s Office says they are still reviewing the incident.