Statement from Attorney Belkis Plata on behalf of the Family of Charles Faggart

PRESS STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
April 14, 2025

The family of Charles Faggart is expressing grief, anger, and deep frustration following the
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s decision to publicly release a heavily redacted incident report and
the names of nine correctional officers involved in the incident that led to Charles’ death — all
without any prior notice to his family. While the Sheriff may not consider this newly released report
part of the official investigation, the family does. They have been begging for answers, only to
receive fragmented and selective information through media reports, under the guise of
transparency.

What this report makes clear is that the incident involving Charles began around 7:00 AM on April
7th. By 9:00 AM, chest compressions were underway, meaning Charles was in cardiac arrest and,
by the time he arrived at the hospital, he was brain dead. Yet the family did not receive a call until
nearly 36 hours later — on Tuesday April 8th around 6:00 PM — when a JSO detective simply told
the family to “watch the news.” They have learned everything they know alongside the rest of the
community — and that is simply unacceptable.

To make matters worse, the Sheriff has now released a report based entirely on the accounts of the
very officers who — according to our sources — the Sheriff himself has called to be criminally
prosecuted. The fact that this is the narrative being presented to the public, while the family
continues to sit in the dark is devastating.