JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville organization says the guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin's murder trial in the death of George Floyd should serve as a reminder for police accountability.
The Jacksonville Community Action Committee is holding a Justice For All rally at the Duval County Courthouse at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The committee says it's demanding "community control of the police and justice for all victims of police brutality."
The rally comes just over 24 hours after a jury found Chauvin guilty of second degree murder, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter for pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds while Floyd lay face-down in handcuffs in May 2020.
"We’re happy to see justice and hope that it sets a precedent here in Jacksonville where we still have repeat killers in the JSO," a news release from the committee states.
The group named several local cases of people killed by police whom they are demanding justice for, including the following:
Jamee Johnson
- Incident: Johnson, a 22-year-old FAMU student, was pulled over for a seat belt violation on Buckman Street in Jacksonville on Dec. 14, 2019. During the stop, police were made aware there was a handgun inside the car and asked Johnson to get out of the car. A struggle ensued when Johnson reportedly shoved the officer and jumped back into his car. Police said Johnson tried to drive off while an officer's body was partially exposed outside the vehicle. The officer shot Johnson four times, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
- Action taken: The State Attorney's Office ruled the deadly shooting "justified" in July 2020. Johnson's family filed a federal lawsuit last month against the City of Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the officer who killed him, disputing the official account of 2019 police shooting death.
Kwame Jones
- Incident: On Jan. 5, 2020, 17-year-old Jones was the passenger in a vehicle, which officers tried to pull over as a stolen car. The driver sped away, hitting another car and crashing into a concrete pole, according to the State Attorney's Office investigative summary. When the officer approached the car, the back seat passenger pointed a rifle at him, police said, causing the officer to fear for his life and open fire. The back seat passenger was wounded, and Jones was killed. He was unarmed.
- Action taken: In October 2020, the State Attorney's Office ruled the deadly shooting justified, despite the fact that Jones was unarmed. "Under the theory of transferred intent, the unintended killing of Jones was justified under these circumstances," the report says.
Devon Gregory
- Incident: On Nov. 17, 2020, Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers stopped a vehicle in Jacksonville's Lakeshore area, and police said the front seat passenger, identified as 18-year-old Gregory, became "agitated." Officers tried to deescalate the situation without success, and Gregory died during an exchange of gunfire with police. An independent autopsy shows Gregory was shot 13 times. The medical examiner report said Gregory shot himself, but did not determine whether the self-inflicted shot or shots by police were fatal. The independent autopsy also shows K-9s dragged Gregory out of the car, leaving him with at least nine bites.
- Action taken: The investigation is pending State Attorney's Office review, according to the JSO officer-involved shootings transparency page. The family's attorneys, along with many national civil rights organizations, are calling for a special investigation into what happened.
Leah Baker
- Incident: On Easter weekend of 2020, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responded to a dispute on Golfair Boulevard. Within moments of knocking on the door, police bodycam footage shows Baker come flying out the door with a butcher knife, stabbing the officer in the arm. Baker threw down the knife when the officer commanded but then dove toward it. The officer fired several rounds, but Baker kept going. A second officer also fired multiple shots. Baker can be seen on the bodycam footage continuing to ignore police commands for several minutes and punching the police K-9 sent in to subdue her. She was handcuffed and placed in an ambulance, and later pronounced dead at the hospital. Baker's mother told First Coast News she had recently been in mental facilities with "paranoid schizoaffective disorder and PTSD."
- Action taken: The State Attorney's Office ruled the deadly shooting justified in September 2020 and released the bodycam footage of the encounter. Baker's mother is advocating for police to use non-lethal means of force, particularly when suspects are mentally ill.
The organization also listed cases of people shot and killed within the last few weeks that have made national headlines:
Adam Toledo
- Incident: Bodycam footage from March 29 shows a Chicago police officer fatally shooting 13-year-old Adam after yelling "Drop it!" at the teen right before he opens fire. A still frame taken from the footage appears to show that Adam wasn't holding anything and had his hands up when the officer shot him in the chest. Police say the teen had a handgun on him that morning, and the bodycam footage shows the officer shining a light on a gun on the ground near Adam after he shot him.
- Action taken: The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, an independent review board, is still conducting its investigation and will pass its findings on to the Cook County state attorney's office upon completion. Whether Officer Eric Stillman will be up to the state attorney's office. Stillman is on administrative leave for 30 days.
Daunte Wright
- Incident: On April 11, officers conducted a traffic stop for expired tags in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. During the stop, officers obtained 20-year-old Wright's ID and found an outstanding warrant. While they tried to arrest him, Wright got back into his car, and Officer Kim Potter shot her gun and struck him, according to police. Police Chief Tim Gannon said he believes Potter meant to fire a Taser, but fired her gun instead. Police said Wright's vehicle traveled "several blocks" before colliding with another vehicle. Wright died at the scene.
- Action taken: Potter was arrested three days after the shooting on April 14. She had already resigned before she was charged with manslaughter. The chief of police also resigned. If convicted, Potter could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, but the presumptive sentence would be four years.
Ma’Khia Bryant
- Incident: Less than an hour after Chauvin's guilty verdict was read, police in Columbus, Ohio, responded to a home for a disturbance call. The caller said females were trying to stab them. Bodycam footage shows a teen, identified by her mother as 16-year-old Ma'Khia, appearing to attempt to stab two people with a knife before the officer fires his weapon. Family said Ma’Khia called the police for help because girls were fighting outside her house. Officers called for a paramedic and began CPR, but Ma'Khia was pronounced dead at the hospital.
- Action taken: The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the shooting. The officer has not been named and is on administrative leave.
"The jury conviction finding Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts serves as a relief, and it also serves as a reminder that all police officers need to be held accountable for their actions," JCAC said in a news release.
RELATED: Family of Jamee Johnson files lawsuit disputing official account of 2019 police shooting death