JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Family and friends gathered Tuesday night in Jacksonville's Memorial Park for a candlelight vigil for 30-year-old Dejuane Hayden.
The vigil honored the life of the son, brother and friend who many knew as "Woo."
"I really do miss my little brother," said Hayden's brother. "I wish he was here to see all the love."
Hayden was shot and killed Thursday on Justina Road by a Jacksonville sheriff's officer who was doing surveillance.
According to JSO, officers were watching men in the area conduct a drug deal moments before Hayden was shot for not complying with police.
Furthermore, police said Hayden had a gun on him at the time of the shooting.
"I want us to really take a moment to feel the energy surrounding us right now," said Jacksonville Community Action Committee Outreach Chair Neal Jefferson. "This is once again not just somebody’s family member, this is a member of our community and this could be any of us."
Tuesday night's vigil was a time for mourning and healing.
"Whatever we can do to make this process, situation, a bit more bearable for them, we want to try and do," said Jefferson.
The Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) is supporting Hayden's family as they demand justice and call on JSO to release the bodycam footage from the shooting.
"Even though it could be any of us, it doesn’t mean that this is nobody," Jefferson said. "This is somebody. This is not a statistic, this is a person. We want to make sure this person gets the justice they deserve and another family does not have to suffer through this."
"Thank y’all for coming out here," Hayden's brother said. "Long live Woo."
The call for justice doesn't end at Tuesday's vigil. Hayden's family and the JCAC will be holding a rally outside of JSO's headquarters at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
First Coast News reached out to JSO for the bodycam footage from the incident, and was sent the following statement:
"The incident continues to be an active investigation. As with all Officer Involved Shootings, we are working through the initial stages, as is the State Attorney’s Office, with their independent investigation. We are working on and will release a Critical Incident Briefing as soon as possible but in a time-frame that would not hinder the investigation in the future."