JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- "Yeah, but it's your word against mine."
That's what Jacksonville City Councilwoman Kimberly Daniels recalls hearing a council candidate's relative say after he allegedly took a swing at her during a dispute at a campaign rally outside of a Northside polling location Monday.
That statement and other details surfaced in a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office's incident report released Tuesday, shedding new light on the alleged attack on Daniels, who's seeking re-election to an at large seat on the council. But without the help of surveillance video, finding out exactly what happened leading up to the reported fracas near the Highlands Library depends on whom you ask.
The way Daniels tells it, she was the victim of an unprovoked attack as she was leaving the library. Witnesses suggest she was the "aggressor," allegedly instigating a confrontation with a profane tirade. By all accounts, though, things escalated when Daniels parked near a campaign van for Sirretta Williams, who's running for the District 7 seat, and put her foot on an empty chair next to the van.
According to Daniels' version, she had just arrived at the library, located in the 1800 block of Dunn Avenue, about 11 a.m. and was turning down a volunteer's help passing out brochures when she propped up her foot on a nearby chair to tie her shoe. That's when Williams walked up to the volunteer and said, "Tell that (expletive) to get her feet off that chair," Daniels told investigators.
At the time, Daniels was on the phone with her friend Reginald Brown, who encouraged her to leave, according to the incident report. She got into her car and was driving away when a pearl-colored Cadillac Escalade pickup pulled up and started honking repeatedly, the councilwoman said.
As she rolled down her window, Williams' brother Theoffers Wakefield walked up to her car door and told her, "(Expletive), I'll kick your (expletive) if you were messing with my sister," Daniels alleged. When she warned that he would go to jail if he touched her, Wakefield told her, "If I go to jail, when I get out, I'll get you," she told investigators.
That's when Wakefield approached her car window and allegedly threw a punch at Daniels' face, but she said she raised her arm in time to block his fist. It was at that point that Wakefield allegedly admitted hitting Daniels, reportedly telling her, "Yeah, but it's your word against mine."
Police spoke with Brown, who recalled hearing someone say, "I'll (expletive) you up," followed by Daniels saying, "Hey, you hit me," before his call with Daniels dropped, according to the report. The EMT who treated Daniels told investigators he did not see any physical marks on the councilwoman when he checked her out.
His word against hers
Still, according to Wakefield, his sister called him and said the councilwoman wanted to "jump her," according to the report. Wakefield acknowledged getting into an argument with Daniels, but denied hitting her.
Williams, meanwhile, suggested Daniels was the one who crossed the line by parking extremely close to her campaign van and then cussing at people nearby, reportedly saying she was "tired of the trifling (expletives)." She and Daniels, Williams conceded, had a falling out when they pastored a church together and "separated on bad terms," according to the report.
Williams acknowledged asking Daniels to remove her foot from the chair, but said Daniels just put her other foot on the chair in an effort to provoke her. She also recalled seeing her brother speak with Daniels, but said she never witnessed Wakefield strike the councilwoman, the report said.
Another witness, who told investigators she's friends with Daniels, claimed the councilwoman instigated the dispute from the start, allegedly saying, "I'm tired of fake (expletive) (expletive) and (expletive)," as she was getting out of the car. At one point, the councilwoman said, "I can have all these (expletives) arrested...do you know who I am?" the same witness told police.
According to that witness, Daniels refused to calm down, reportedly saying, "The Pastor ain't here, Kim is!" When Daniels placed her foot on Williams' chair, the witness recalled hearing the councilwoman say, "I want (Williams) to say something to me so I can have her arrested." Even so, that witness said she left before Wakefield arrived and never saw the verbal confrontation turn physical.
It's not yet clear if any charges will be filed against Wakefield, though the incident report says police are seeking a warrant for his arrest.
We reached out to Daniels' office; a spokesperson said the councilwoman is not currently commenting on the issue.
On Wednesday, Williams released the following statement on the incident through a spokesperson:
"In light of this vicious attempt to undermine her campaign, Sirretta Williams remains wholly focused on her campaign, her involvement in the community and her commitment to District 7."
