JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The family of Rashaud Martin, the man who died under the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s custody back in October outside of a mental health facility, is still demanding answers.
The family held a vigil on Saturday in Riverview Park to celebrate Martin’s life.
Martin died on Oct. 24, 2025, after being transported by JSO to a mental health resources center under Florida’s Baker Act following a “domestic disturbance” call at his mother’s home.
His mother, Vanessa, disputes the title “domestic disturbance,’ noting that it makes the incident sound more violent than it was.
She says the night of Martin’s death, her son was having the worst schizophrenic episode she’s seen since he was diagnosed eight years earlier after a car accident when he hit his head.
“That particular night, it just escalated into a person I didn’t even recognize,” Vanessa said. “That altered personality came out, and I knew I needed help, so I called for help… thinking I was getting help, only to find out that apparently he never made it to mental health.”
But Martin would never be admitted.
“I did receive a call saying Rashad has arrived, but now I’m learning that he never arrived,” Vanessa said. “He perished in the back of the police car.”
Upon arrival, Martin was found unresponsive. The police report says that officers issued him multiple doses of Narcan, but it did not revive him. He was pronounced dead shortly after.
Almost eight months later, the Martin family is still awaiting bodycam footage from the officers driving him that night.
“The story is not adding up,” Lucretia, Martin’s sister, said. “What JSO is not saying is not adding up. I’m just gonna let the community know now, they’re liars.”
Lucretia says that JSO told their attorney that there’s a waiting period for bodycam footage.
“Y’all done released like eight body cam footage since my brother died,” she said. “So your waiting period is over, and you know it, so you need to release my brother’s body cam footage.”
The Jacksonville Community Action Committee attended Martin’s vigil. They’ve been advocating for Jacksonville to have a dedicated mental health response team so mental health episodes don’t end in tragedy.
“Losing your loved one is already so painful, and then on top of that, not even knowing details surrounding their death is just impossible,” Monica Gold, a volunteer with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, said. “We think that JSO owes the family answers and owes the community answers.”
We’ve reached out to JSO and have not yet received a response back.
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