COCOA, Fla. — For the family of 31-year-old Jamel Dunn, the only thing harder than dealing with his loss is knowing someone could have helped.
Only after his body was discovered floating by the edge of the water in Bracco Pond Park in Cocoa on July 14 did his family discover someone recorded his drowning and did nothing to save his life.
“It was very disturbing,” said Dunn’s sister, Simone McIntosh. “They’re laughing and joking in the background saying, ‘No, we’re not going to help you.' It’s horrible.”
The two-and-a-half-minute video, which was recorded July 9, was released by the state attorney’s office on Thursday.
In the video, police said a group teenage boys can be heard yelling things like, “We’re not going to help you and you never should have gotten in there.”
When Dunn falls below the surface of the water for the final time, one of the teenagers can be heard saying, “We could have helped.”
One of the teens is then heard talking about marijuana.
“We identified all five of them,” said Cocoa Police Department spokesperson Yvonne Martinez.
Dunn’s loved ones said they are devastated by the recording and shocked criminal charges won’t be filed.
“For you to record and not get on the phone and call is just cruel,” said the victim’s fiancé, Rondanielle Williams.
While the state attorney’s office could find no moral justification for the incident, there wasn’t sufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution under Florida statutes.
Cox Media Group
