Investigations into Johnson-Davis' death trigger emotions in mother

The Bradenton Police Department has completed an internal investigation into Officer Julian Jackson’s involvement in the incarceration death of Breonte Johnson-Davis last November. The result was a brief suspension of Jackson from duty and six months of probation.

The results of the 170-page investigation concluded that Jackson’s involvement in the arrest of Davis by Palmetto police officers and Davis’ subsequent death violated six agency standards and policies.

According to records provided by the Herald Tribune Last week, Jackson was interviewed by a three-person panel of investigators, including BPD Chief Melanie Bevan, on June 18 of last month. Around that time, BPD administration suspended Jackson from duty for 40 hours.

Bodycam footage, witness statements and surveillance footage show that Jackson stopped in response to the crime scene near the Circle K convenience store on 8th Street West in Palmetto on November 1, 2023. Jackson, who was in a marked BPD patrol car and in uniform but off-duty at the time, can be seen wrestling Davis to the ground in an attempt to get him to comply before Palmetto police officer Matthew Wilson used his Taser on Davis.

More:Criminal justice and police experts comment on the use of force in the deadly taser attack by Palmetto police

Jackson was found liable for six violations of the Bradenton Police Department’s Procedural General Orders (PGO), including failing to inform a superior about the use of force.

The documents show that Jackson was briefly suspended from June 18 to June 25.

A spokesman for the Bradenton Police Department confirmed in a telephone conversation with Herald Tribune that as a result of the investigation, Jackson was sentenced to six months’ probation from June 2024 to January 2025. BPD did not comment on whether the agency considered the disciplinary action consistent with the officer’s policy violations.

Multiple violations cited in Jackson investigation

The Bradenton Police investigation comes eight months after the death of Breonte Johnson-Davis, a 36-year-old Palmetto man who died after Palmetto police shot him with a Taser during an altercation in November 2023.

Crime experts have spoken out as community members and Johnson-Davis’ family have raised concerns in recent months that both Manatee County agencies used excessive force the night Johnson-Davis encountered officers. Davis, who was believed to have a mental health disorder at the time of the incident, died of cardiac arrest after being tasered twice while in custody by Palmetto officers.

Despite his death, an official investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) found that the five officers involved, including Bradenton Police Department officer Julian Jackson, did not cross the line of excessive force in arresting and killing Johnson-Davis.

No misconduct:FDLE investigation finds no wrongdoing in Taser use and death of Breonte Johnson-Davis

By comparison, the BPD’s small internal investigation cites six counts of misconduct by Jackson. The investigation summary states that Jackson “committed multiple violations of Bradenton Police Department procedures” during the encounter with Palmetto and Johnson-Davis police on November 1, 2023.

Jackson’s violations of BPD procedures include failure to report the incident to the communications center, failure to report the incident to a supervisor, failure to report the use of force to a supervisor, failure to complete the required use of force report, and failure to activate body-worn camera equipment.

After the investigation was completed on June 18, Jackson was suspended for 40 hours and given an extended period of probation.

Disciplinary measures arouse mixed feelings in Johnson-Davis’ mother

For months before the FDLE’s initial investigation, Johnson-Davis’ mother, Tracey Washington, pressed Palmetto police for answers about the night her son died.

Washington, a community activist and Palmetto native, has been vocal about her dissatisfaction with Palmetto Chief Scott Tyler’s handling of her son’s death and the subsequent investigation. Her frustration returned, she says, after learning about the internal investigation in Bradenton and Jackson’s disciplinary action.

“On one hand, I think, ‘Great, good job,’ and on the other hand, I don’t want him to be used as a scapegoat or an example. I understand he violated a lot of policies, but I still wonder why he flipped out so casually with the other officer and said he was never there that night,” Washington said, recalling an email Jackson sent to Palmetto police after the Nov. 1, 2023, incident.

More:Exclusive: New records describe the death of Breonte Johnson, authorities still investigating

“He (Jackson) was overconfident. You’re not going to make me believe that one officer there violated six rules while four other officers didn’t violate a single one.”

Emails from Jackson to Palmetto police detailed his involvement in the incident.

“I turned on my hazard lights and attempted to assist the officer in apprehending the man,” Jackson wrote in an email to Palmetto police describing his involvement. “Due to the man’s actions, I assisted the Palmetto Police Officer by taking him to the ground. I took him to the ground by putting my arms around his shoulders and using his forward momentum to take him to the ground.”

Washington questioned the administration and work culture of both agencies and expressed concerns about leaving officers involved in incidents like her son’s on the street.

“We still have that cop on the street. And we have another one who said he was glad he finally got to use his Taser. I dream about it all the time, I randomly hear it in my head all the time. The chief showed them that behavior is OK.”

She claims that Palmetto police leadership and city officials are not fully responsible for her son’s death, even though the incident was cleared by the FDLE.

Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler declined to comment. Herald Tribune about the disciplinary actions of the Bradenton Police Department in connection with the death of Johnson-Davis.

“This (Bradenton) officer came to help your officers. He was disciplined, but none of your officers were,” Washington asked. “How can these officers be so content with not being disciplined? Isn’t discipline what the Palmetto Police Department stands for?”

Samantha Gholar covers social justice for USA Today Network-Florida and lifestyle and philanthropy for the Herald-Tribune. Reach her at X (formerly Twitter) @samanthagholar or by email at [email protected].

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