OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez says he plans to consider the recommendations of a Grand Jury report criticizing how his deputies handled a shooting that killed one person and injured two others.
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21-yearold Jayden Baez was killed in the 2022 incident.
Two teenagers entered his car after investigators say they stole pizza and Pokémon cards from a Target store.
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Deputies started shooting when they say Baez slammed into patrol vehicles.
A Grand Jury report released Thursday determined that insufficient training and communication led to Baez’ death.
The report says Sheriff Lopez refused to meet with the Grand Jury, which was very specific in their criticism of him.
The Grand Jury’s report says, as a leader, Lopez was responsible for explaining his department’s policies to them, rather than the staff members he tried to send in his place.
The Grand Jury’s report highlights one mistake after another, calling the April 2022 shooting something that never should have occurred.
The report says it was an inappropriate use of force that was poorly planned and executed with no regard for the safety of others when deputies surrounded the shoplifting suspects’ vehicle.
“The deputies had several conversations before executing their vehicle block,” Chief Assistant State Attorney Ryan Williams explained. “Including a discussion as to whether any crime had been committed at all.”
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The Grand Jury recommended policy changes that included limiting when vehicle blocks can be used, when body cameras should be turned on, and when deputies should put themselves in harm’s way or shoot at moving cars.
The Grand Jury also admonished Sheriff Lopez for failing to meet with them to discuss his policies.
“It’s more than policies,” said attorney Mark NeJame, who represented the victims. “It’s culture, and the culture within this department is abhorrent.”
Sheriff Lopez only responded to the report with a short statement, promising to take the findings under consideration. He did not address the shooting victims or their families.
“It’s not a good feeling to know you’ll never see your son again,” Jayden’s father Alejandro Baez said.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is no longer using vehicle blocks on misdemeanor suspects, which was one of the grand jury’s recommendations.
The jurors also went after Osceola County’s Board of Commissioners and school system in their report, noting one of the injured teens was homeless, and saying if Osceola County had the proper resources in place to help people in need, there may have been a different outcome.
Ninth Circuit State Attorney Andrew Bain said the community needed to do better.
“One of the young men should not have been there on that day,” Bain said.
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