A recent incident in Jacksonville has sparked discussions about the critical importance of communication between law enforcement agencies and officers in the field. Acknowledging a ‘communication breakdown,’ the State Attorney’s Office attributed this lapse as a factor leading to a police officer lacking crucial details about an unfolding situation before he discharged his weapon.
Video footage newly released by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office provides a clearer picture of the events that transpired before a 14-year-old was shot by a Jacksonville police officer. The incident followed a pursuit involving a stolen vehicle, which added a layer of complexity to the situation.
State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office has reviewed the matter and concluded that the officer’s use of force was justified. The decision was grounded in the officer’s belief at the time that the occupants of the stolen vehicle might pose a significant threat, potentially being armed and dangerous.
Nelson explained that the sequence of events began with the theft of a vehicle from a DoorDash driver. She described how the suspects orchestrated the theft by placing an order, diverting the driver’s attention, and then making off with his black Kia Optima.
This car theft was the catalyst for a chain of unusual and concerning incidents. Coinciding with the car theft in the same vicinity, there were reports of more severe crimes, including a drive-by shooting and a hit-and-run. These events compounded the sense of urgency and danger perceived by the officer involved.
She said right around the same time and place as the theft, some more violent crimes happened – a drive-by shooting and hit-and-run.
“Within minutes of each other, and close in distance – within two miles,” said Nelson.
Nelson says that prompted JSO to radio out a BOLO to all districts to treat the stolen car as armed and dangerous.
So, when an officer spotted a car matching its description, it kicked off a chase.
“They believed, at the time, they are taking down a shooting vehicle,” said Nelson.
However, JSO determined the hit-and-run and drive-by shooting were unrelated to the stolen car, but that information wasn’t sent out over to the radio to some of the officers involved in the pursuit.
When the 14-year-old ran after crashing the car into a building, Nelson says he motioned toward his waist, leading the officer to shoot him.
Nelson says no gun was recovered at the scene and the teen wasn’t armed.
“Officer Cahill’s belief met the threshold permitting lethal force,” said Nelson. “Our review identified a communication breakdown that certainly contributed to this incident.”
Nelson says the updates were only relayed to one district instead of city-wide.
“Really a perfect storm of timing, proximity, logical but incorrect assumptions and communication gaps,” said Nelson. “While those circumstances may well indeed give rise to civil liability, they actually help explain and support the reasonableness of the officer’s perceptions and actions.”
The case has prompted the agency to work on updating its dispatch protocols “so that critical updates such as this are pushed on all city radio channels,” according to Nelson. She says JSO has already presented a mock up of the new policy, so they should implement the update shortly.
All four teens who were in the stolen car are charged with grand theft auto.
Nelson added the teen survived the shooting and is now out of the hospital.
