Calling testimony given by sheriff's officer Josue Garriga "a lie," the family of Jamee Johnson killed in a Dec. 14, 2019, police shooting filed a federal lawsuit against the officer, his department and the city.
Joined at a Friday news conference by Harvey Johnson Jr. and Kimberly Austin, the 22-year-old's parents, attorney Harry Daniels detailed the "battery and wrongful death" claims made in the lawsuit, saying Jacksonville police used excessive force during a sunset traffic stop in the 3000 block of Buckman Street.
WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union reports that the lawsuit says it is clear Johnson was shot facing Garriga outside the car, not behind the young man as they struggled inside as the officer testified. It states that the Sheriff's Office and State Attorney’s Office deliberately chose to ignore eyewitness testimony and deemed Garriga’s actions justified.
Instead, Garriga’s actions were "malicious and/or involved reckless, callous and deliberate indifference" to Johnson's rights, the lawsuit said.
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