JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is calling the second shot fired at twenty-two-year-old Asia Bennett “criminal” after Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office bodycam video was released Wednesday. Bennett was shot twice by an officer after her boyfriend called 911.
In the video, Bennett can be heard telling the officer to shoot her. Her aunt says it was a cry for help. She spoke during a news conference alongside several attorneys, including Crump.
“It is horrible. Nobody should have the fear when those police officers roll up that they are going to be shot after being beaten,” her aunt said.
Her family shared photos they say show injuries from earlier abuse by her boyfriend.
“I mean beautiful. But regrettably, this is what we have to show to make the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office acknowledge that she was a domestic violence victim,” her aunt said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s office says Bennett was armed with a knife and moved within about ten feet of the officer, who fired and struck her. They say she fell but continued holding the knife and tried to get up, prompting the second shot.
Action News Jax Legal analyst Chris Carson, who is not connected to the case, pointed to what is known as the Tuller drill. It outlines that within twenty-one feet, a person can close distance in about a second and a half, creating a potentially deadly threat.
“So ultimately what happened here, they were called out. When that individual broached the twenty-one-foot range of safety, the police elected to operate in a fashion that resulted in them discharging a firearm and ultimately the individual died,” Carson said.
Bennett’s family says they hoped the situation would have been analyzed more closely and deescalated.
“If someone is standing behind a car watching a woman on her hands and knees and that officer is afraid, she does not need to be an officer,” her aunt said.
Crump says they plan to pursue every avenue possible to seek justice for Bennett.
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