Medical examiner can’t pinpoint shot that caused man’s death during JSO traffic stop

3 years ago 207

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An autopsy study has been released by the Medical Examiner’s Office successful the decease of an 18-year-old man, who died during a postulation halt involving Jacksonville police.

During the postulation halt successful Nov. 2020, investigators said Devon Gregory fired a changeable portion wrong the car arsenic officers were trying to get him out, and officers past fired aggregate shots into the car.

In the report, the aesculapian examiner confirmed that Gregory changeable himself. The study noted stippling successful the gunshot coiled to his forehead, which indicates it was fired from adjacent range.

The aesculapian examiner besides located 23 different gunshot wounds, including different penetrating coiled to his caput and 9 much to his back.

Because of the fig of gunshot wounds to captious parts of Gregory’s body, the aesculapian examiner was incapable to pinpoint the changeable that killed him and has listed the mode of decease arsenic undetermined.

Notably, the examiner besides recovered canine wound wounds connected Gregory’s body. After the shooting stopped, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office deployed a K-9, which pulled him retired of the car, and helium was handcuffed, which is modular protocol.

Tina Rhiles, Gregory’s cousin, said the household conducted its ain backstage autopsy. She said the household already knew the aesculapian examiner would regularisation his decease “undetermined.”

“Because they’re not capable to find if that was the changeable that killed him, the 1 that they accidental helium performed connected himself, past wouldn’t that mean that the monolithic magnitude of different bullets were predominately the cause?” she questioned.

She says the Sheriff’s Office should not person mentioned Gregory’s self-inflicted gunshot coiled earlier the aesculapian examiner’s study came retired astir the different gunshot wounds inflicted connected Gregory’s body.

“You gave the damming footage out,” Rhiles said. “You took the hearts and the minds of the radical distant from my cousin, truthful cipher wants to basal up for him and combat for him.”

Body camera footage was released to the public soon aft the incidental adjacent the intersection of San Juan and Cassat avenues. An serviceman approaches from the driver’s side, asking if anyone successful the car, explaining that helium smelled what appeared to beryllium the odor of marijuana coming from the interior. The operator gets retired of the car, portion the 2 others -- including Gregory -- remained inside.

A 2nd serviceman looks into the car and sees Gregory, who appears to beryllium smoking something, statesman to scope nether the seat.

“Hey, don’t scope nether there,” the 2nd serviceman yells. “Stop f****** reaching!”

“I’m reaching for my phone,” Gregory says portion staring astatine the serviceman with a manus inactive nether the seat.

The officers astatine the country each statesman yelling for Gregory to amusement his hands, 1 yelling, “You are astir to get f****** shot!”

Gregory repeatedly asks to drawback his phone, and an speech continues for a mates of minutes. The concern escalates.

“Shoot me!” Gregory begins yelling repeatedly -- astatine slightest a twelve times. “F****** termination me!”

“Listen to me,” an serviceman says. “I committedness you if you rise your manus with thing successful it, you volition not get hurt.”

After respective much minutes of back-and-forth, an serviceman approaches the car with a K-9. The young antheral successful the backmost spot of the car is removed.

“Leave me! Leave me!” Gregory yells.

The video past shows Gregory enactment his caput down betwixt his legs. A gunshot is fired wrong the car, and Gregory’s caput is thrown back. The officers past occurrence respective times astatine the car.

Evidence technicians recovered 33 ammunition casings astatine the scene.

The State Attorney’s Office ruled the shooting justifiable. In its conclusion, the SAO writes:

“Our relation is to evaluate, review, and prosecute transgression charges erstwhile the usage of deadly unit is not justified. We person conducted a thorough reappraisal of the grounds successful this matter. And portion the actions of instrumentality enforcement were justified nether the law, this does not alteration the elemental information that Devon Gregory changeable himself successful the forehead. We volition instrumentality nary further enactment successful this matter.”

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