Photo: Getty Images
Calls for justice are growing for Dejuane Hayden, a 30-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office deputy, per First Coast News.
Hayden was shot and killed on October 10 following a foot chase with officers. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office claimed that Hayden was part of a group of "known gang members" who were "flashing firearms" outside a local business.
Officers said they approached the group and detained two others as Hayden attempted to flee the scene.
Body camera footage showed an officer chasing after Hayden when he was shot and killed. Hayden dropped a gun in his hand after he was shot.
During a rally over the weekend, community members called for Bradley Griffitts, the officer who fired the fatal shot, to be indicted.
Hayden's brother, Brandon Boyd, said he believes the sheriff's office is labeling him as a gang member in an attempt to justify the officer's actions.
"We weren't out there shooting at people. We weren't killing people. They aren't looking for us for murders and all that. They keep saying gang members. As soon as they see more than two to three people, they label it as gang members. All we are are just kids trying to find our way. My brother was just scared that day," Boyd said.
The State Attorney's Office has launched an investigation into Griffitts' decision to shoot.
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