A 22-year-old former Florida A&M University student is dead after a weekend officer-involved shooting following a traffic stop in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Sheriffs office, JSO, says he was resisting arrest.
Jamee Christopher Deonte Johnson was pulled over in a Sunday afternoon traffic stop in Jacksonville. JSO Chief Investigator T.K. Waters says when officers spoke with Johnson, they learned he had a gun in the car. That’s not illegal in Florida. Officers asked Johnson to step out of the vehicle and he initially complied. But Waters says as Johnson walked back to the officer’s patrol car, he pushed Officer J. Garriga and the two struggled, before Johnson got back in his car and hit the accelerator.
“The suspect was reaching for the gun while officer Garriga was trying to gain control of him. during the struggle the suspect hit the accelerator," Waters told reporters gathered at a Sunday press conference. "The vehicle moved forward quickly while officer Garriga’s body was partially exposed outside the vehicle.”
Garriga shot at Johnson four times, killing him. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Waters says Johnson had no prior criminal history.
According to FAMU, Johnson was enrolled from Fall 2015 – Spring 2019 as a business administration student. The shooting is under investigation by both the JSO and the state attorney’s office. Both Garriga and his partner have been placed on administrative leave. The video footage has not been released due to the ongoing investigation.
Rep. Ramon Alexander, D-Tallahassee, wants the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to examine the shooting. In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Alexander says, "I have formally requested that the Office of the Governor direct FDLE to monitor and review the aforementioned police involved shooting to gather all the facts in a timely and expeditious manner.”
