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Protesters rallied outside of the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office headquarters on April 13, 2025 in response to the in-custody death of Charles Faggart, who died after he was beaten by jailers, according to his family\u2019s attorney. [Malcolm Jackson for The Tributary]<\/p>\n
The Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office has not yet begun an internal affairs investigation into the nine officers stripped of their jail duties following a clash with 31-year-old Charles Faggart, who died in early April at UF Health, another loose thread in a slow-moving series of investigations surrounding the controversial death.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Faggart\u2019s family, through an attorney, told The Tributary that over the course of the more than six months that have passed since he died, they have developed \u201cgrowing concern over the lack of movement in the official investigation into his death.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
State Attorney Melissa Nelson\u2019s office has investigated Faggart\u2019s death but recently announced it was letting federal authorities take the lead. The FBI and U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office issued grand jury subpoenas for witness testimony over the summer \u2013 which The Tributary recently obtained<\/a> \u2013 but those documents shed little light on what issues federal authorities are scrutinizing, and it\u2019s unclear when that investigation will be done.<\/p>\n State law generally gives police departments 180 days to conduct internal investigations to determine if any rules \u2013 as opposed to crimes \u2013 were broken, but there can be exceptions to that timeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n JSO\u2019s own internal affairs investigation into the nine jail officers suspended in the aftermath of Faggart\u2019s hospitalization \u201cwill begin once the criminal investigation is complete,\u201d said Vic Micolucci, a JSO spokesperson. <\/p>\n Since April, those officers have been reassigned to different responsibilities, like courthouse duty, according to JSO records.<\/p>\n That leaves no official avenue in which Faggart\u2019s family or the public are likely to soon learn more about why Faggart left the jail in a fatal condition.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn the last 6 months, there has been little transparency or resolution,\u201d said Sam Smart, an attorney with the Plata Schott Law firm working with Faggart\u2019s family. \u201cThe family remains in deep grief and continues to seek answers and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n Exactly who and what caused Faggart\u2019s death \u2013 and what led to his initial clash with guards at the jail \u2013 remains a mystery.<\/p>\n Police reports contradicted UF Health medical findings after Faggart was hospitalized. Upon arrival, he was unresponsive, in a fatal condition and doctors made note of his bleeding and bruised face. Faggart suffered multiple injuries throughout his body and significant damage to his kidneys and liver.\u00a0<\/p>\n Doctors discovered evidence of injuries not disclosed in heavily redacted JSO reports.<\/p>\n Police claimed Faggart admitted to fentanyl use, and an officer witnessed him having a seizure. A urine test conducted by UF Health staff found no evidence of the drug in his system nor was there any indication of Faggart suffering from a seizure.<\/p>\n Faggart\u2019s family learned new information about his death alongside the public. JSO did not reach out to Tracy Karpas, Faggart\u2019s mother, about the hospitalization until more than 36 hours after Faggart was cuffed to a hospital bed on April 7, and the family\u2019s lawyers have been publicly critical<\/a> of JSO\u2019s information sharing.<\/p>\n In sharp contrast, Smart praised the FBI.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTheir professionalism, responsiveness, and communication with the family have not gone unnoticed,\u201d Smart said. \u201cThe family appreciates their efforts to keep them informed and to treat Charles Faggart\u2019s death with the seriousness it deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n