OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Mark NeJame is not known for holding back.
Sitting in his office overlooking downtown Orlando and I-4, the high-profile attorney lobbed accusations at one of the most powerful figures in Osceola County, Sheriff Marcos Lopez.
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“What are they hiding?” he asked. “If he wants to talk about surrendering his paycheck and I’ll surrender mine, tell him to give me a call… To try to dirty us up for doing our job, shame on him.”
For weeks, NeJame and Lopez have been locked in a battle over the deputy-involved shooting death of a 20-year old outside a Target that also injured two teenagers. The group had been trying to escape after two of its members stole Pokémon cards and a pizza from the store.
WATCH: Surveillance video released of deputy-involved shooting outside Osceola County Target
Since the trigger was pulled, the sheriff has been less forthcoming than he’s usually known for. His initial news conference to confirm the shooting didn’t happen for hours. He spoke for less than five minutes and took no questions. The names of his deputies involved have been kept secret, and it took days for the dead man’s name to be released.
After NeJame’s opening salvo last week, Lopez attempted to set the record straight, referring to much of the attorney’s statements as “misinformation.”
“So many [media] outlets have spent the week questioning my commitment or transparency and accountability,” he said during a news conference Monday. “Although members of the media may disagree, I believe that citizens of Osceola County recognize that turning the investigation over to a neutral, unbiased agency is the best method of being transparent and accountable.”
Moment by moment, he laid out what happened before the shooting. Why the deputies were on the scene already, what they saw that caused them to call loss prevention, and how they attempted to arrest the teenagers.
He showed pictures of his battered cars, said his deputy feared for his life, and explained that the driver had a gun in his lap. He passed out packets of reports from his deputies that detailed how they wore marked uniforms and attempted to assist the injured men.
Both Lopez and the reports skipped over the shooting itself, and the security camera video released after showed a tree blocking the view of the crucial moments.
“You’ve got to let [FDLE] do their investigation,” he said, to the frustration of reporters assembled before him.
Naturally, NeJame had an issue with almost everything Lopez said. In an attempt to push the court of public opinion further to his side, he held up the packet of reports the sheriff’s department handed out the day before.
“Take a look at when these reports were filed,” he said. “There’s four of them by four deputies. All of these were filed on the same day at the same time.”
READ: Teen shot by deputies outside Osceola County Target recalls moment bullets started flying
He-said, he-said
The back-and-forth between the two megaphone men has brought up questions about how this situation could have been handled better, Dr. Randy Nelson, a police training expert and Bethune-Cookman University professor, said.
While Lopez took the podium in the name of transparency this week, Nelson added that having clearly laid out guidelines before a shooting happens would’ve given the department – and reporters – a road map of expectations.
Those procedures would not be limited to what information to release versus hold back. The professor said it included every single department policy, such as how vehicle takedowns and use of force are applied.
“This is our process, these are our procedures,” Nelson explained. “Any question, it’s here, because if you don’t others are filling in the narrative.”
Nelson said it was one of the recommendations made when he participated in an advisory group for the Florida Police Chief’s Association.
By addressing some information and continuing to hold back on the shooting, he said Lopez had unintentionally moved further away from holding the public’s trust. Either say it all or say nothing, Nelson summarized.
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“I think it’s human nature to try to defend,” he said. “Once again, law enforcement is held to a higher standard, and that higher standard is being transparent [so] that the community believes you when you say we’re doing an independent investigation.”
Lopez has promised information about the shooting once state investigators release their findings. He has been cautious, warning people against rushing to judgment against his deputies while withholding some defense of their actions.
“I look forward to the completion of the independent investigation and review by the state,” he said. “I will comment at that time.”
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As for the attorney in the high-rise, he has promised to continue his assault on the department’s actions until the murkiness surrounding the shooting and the attempted vehicle blockade ends.
“Imagine those bullets flying into any of those civilians you saw walking around,” NeJame said, with a flourish for emphasis. “It’s the most horrific policy that endangers human beings, as you can see here. If you committed a misdemeanor, you arrest them.”
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