JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Friends of Telia Toaltoan may have been afraid to show their faces on camera. But they weren't afraid to point the finger at JSO, blaming police for the young mother's death.
One witness said, "I think her life was in their hands. I think they got blood on their hands."
Toaltoan, 23, was shot and killed Tuesday morning, police say by her boyfriend, Prince Sanders, 27. She was killed just hours after JSO had responded to a domestic violence call at their Ralph Street home.
That's when JSO admits its officers made a major mistake. Undersheriff Dwain Senterfitt says they didn't write a report. "That's the biggest concern, that a report wasn't written," said Senterfitt. "And if a report wasn't written, there could have been some other things maybe that weren't done along the way with that."
They say the officers made sure Toaltoan got to the hospital to get stitches for a head wound they say Sanders caused. And while the officers were there, they say Sanders was not. Undersheriff Senterfitt said, "Whether they had written a report or not, like I said, I don't know that it would have changed the outcome in this. But I want to know why they didn't do it."
While JSO investigates its officers, neighbors say they've lost faith in the force. They feel like JSO didn't do enough to keep this young mom safe. Another witness told Action News, "I feel like if JSO would have been here to protect her, or done a little bit more to protect her, she would've been with us today. I think it is JSO's fault."
JSO says Toalton was a known victim of domestic violence. Officers say JSO had offered her help back in July, trying to get her out of her abusive situation. They say she declined their services.
Police issued a warrant for Sanders' arrest after the murder. They found him Tuesday night at Shands Jacksonville. They say he had gone there seeking treatment for an injury. Now, he's being held in the Duval County Jail on $75,000 bond.
