JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan responded to criticism Thursday for not attending a Jacksonville officer's funeral earlier in the week.
Officer Brad McNew was laid to rest Tuesday at the Oaklawn Cemetery. He was killed while intervening in a domestic dispute on Jacksonville's Northside.
As hundreds came out to pay their respects, Deegan was not among those in attendance. According to the Mayor's Office, Deegan's absence was a result of a "miscommunication" between the Mayor's Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
GOP Chairman Dean Black called Deegan's absence, "an unforgivable insult to the courageous men and women of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office."
"Our mayor has time to jet-set to Europe on taxpayer money but can't spare the time to honor a local hero—or even send a single member of her staff," Black wrote.
The full statement from the Mayor's Office says Deegan and McNew's widow, Elda, spoke on the phone Thursday, and also spoke the morning after the shooting occurred.
The full statement from the Mayor's Office reads:
Mayor Deegan had a heartfelt visit with Elda McNew today to express her sincere condolences and talk about Officer McNew’s life and heroism. Previously, they had spoken by phone the morning after the tragic shooting occurred.
Due to a miscommunication between the Mayor's Office and Sheriff's Office, the mayor was unaware of the funeral when she arrived back in Jacksonville early Tuesday morning. She continues to keep the McNew family and first responder community in her heart during this time of grief.