Jacksonville sheriff releases bodycam video of fatal police shooting. Here's what it shows

One of the first news briefings Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters conducted a couple of months into his term was to announce revised procedures in keeping the public informed and particularly with police shootings. The timely release of body camera footage has been under scrutiny for years — both locally and nationally — and the sheriff vowed to do so within 21 days.

On Thursday, the Sheriff's Office released video of 2023's first police shooting on Jan. 19. Waters has made it clear the videos will be “appropriately redacted” and depend on whether posting it online could hamper an active investigation. In the past, they had not been provided in a consistent time frame and ranged from a month to a year or more.

It also came just hours before the department's third fatal police shooting of the year.

Termed a "critical incident community briefing" in Thursday's video introduction, Chief of Professional Standards Chris Brown reiterated these investigations involve multiple interviews and hours of body camera video and forensic analysis and are only a preliminary stage of the ultimate findings between the Sheriff's Office and State Attorney's Office.

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He also advised the videos from both involved officers are graphic and involves a man's death.

Who was shot by Jacksonville police?

Killed was Eric Nathaniel Thornton, a 38-year-old white male from Yulee.

When and where did the Jacksonville police shooting happen?

It happened about 5:45 p.m. Jan. 19 in the parking lot of The Sagefield apartments at 13283 N. Main St.

Who were the Jacksonville officers involved in the fatal shooting?

Their names are protected under the state's Marsy's Law, but they were a white male and white female, according to the Sheriff's Office. The Florida Supreme Court heard arguments in December about whether the identities of officers who kill suspects can be kept secret under Marsy’s Law, a constitutional amendment designed to protect victims of crime.

Who else was arrested in the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office shooting?

The target of the investigation was Brian Gregory Brightman, a 29-year-old Black male, from Jacksonville. He was charged with selling fentanyl, child abuse, unlawful use of a two-way communication device and keeping a vehicle to store and sell drugs. Also arrested was Shelton Carlisle Jr., a 52-year-old white male from Yulee, on charges of possession of fentanyl with intent to sell and tampering with evidence.

What happened in Jacksonville on January 19, 2023?

Following is the Sheriff's Office's account of what happened. About 5:45 p.m. narcotics detectives were conducting surveillance on a known drug dealer (identified as Brightman) who was the passenger in a van they were observing in an apartment parking lot. Detectives witnessed a drug transaction when Carlisle pulled into the parking lot in another vehicle, got out and met with Brightman. The officers then used their vehicles to block the van to take Brightman into custody. The driver (Thornton) fled on foot.

Detectives wearing tactical vests identifying them as police noticed he had a knife in his hand and gave multiple commands to drop the weapon as they chased him on foot. They said he instead turned toward them, and two of them shot him multiple times. Brightman was located still in the van and taken into custody without incident. His 8-year-old son also was found inside unharmed. The boy was with him in another vehicle during a March 2022 drug arrest that included a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to court records.

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What evidence was found?

The Sheriff's Office said a knife and box cutter and 2 grams of fentanyl were found at the scene.

What happens next in the Jacksonville police shooting case?

An independent investigation of the case will be conducted by the State Attorney's Office to determine if the officers' actions were lawful. The Sheriff's Office will then begin an administrative review that involves its internal Response to Resistance Review Board, which will hear testimony from the officers and decide if any policies were violated. The sheriff will make a final decision on any recommendations that could call for reprimands or additional training.

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What happened in the latest Jacksonville police shooting?

It began about 11:15 a.m. Thursday with a call about a man threatening to harm himself and would shoot at any police who came onto his property at a home in the 5300 block of Lannie Road on the Northside. Chief Mark Romano said after several minutes of police trying to talk him out, they heard a gunshot from inside. They also had learned that potentially his girlfriend was inside, so SWAT responded and communicated with the suspect for over an hour.

He eventually came out of the front door, go on his hands and knees and put the gun down, Romano said. Then he picked it up and fired at the officers who immediately shot him multiple times. Six officers were involved and none injured.

It turned out the girlfriend was not inside but at another location safe. The chief said he did not know the mental history of the suspect or whether this was a suicide by cop. He was later identified as 60-year-old Thomas Edwin Gray.

How many police shootings have there been in Jacksonville in 2022 and 2023?

So far this year, Jacksonville police have shot three suspects, all fatally. A day after Thornton was shot and killed, 39-year-old Leon Bernard Burroughs, a suspected burglar, was shot by police after they say he shot at them after being found sleeping in the back of a car and refusing to show his hands and get out, according to the Sheriff's Office. During the confrontation on Hardee street, an officer was grazed in the face by a bullet.

In 2022, Times-Union records show Jacksonville police shot 12 suspects, eight of whom died.