Palmetto police release new details about man who died after being taken into custody
PALMETTO, Fla. (WFLA) — On Tuesday, police officers in Palmetto released more information about a man who died after he was taken into custody in November.
On Nov. 1, 2023, police were called to a gas station after they said Breonte Johnson-Davis was aggressive with staff members.
When officers arrived, Johnson-Davis allegedly ran to an officer’s car, banged on the window, and jumped on the hood. Officers said Johnson-Davis continued to resist arrest and they used a Taser on him.
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After Johnson-Davis was taken into custody, police said he was under the influence of narcotics and suffered a medical episode a short time later. He was taken to a hospital and died a day later.
Last month, Johnson-Davis’ mother, Tracey Washington, spoke to News Channel 8 about her son’s death. She said she wanted officers to explain the injuries she saw on her son that night.
“Upon getting to the hospital, I go in and I see Breonte, and Breonte has all these cuts and bruises and a knot on the side of his head,” Washington previously told News Channel 8.
She said that her son was struggling with his mental health and believed he was in distress that night.
“So what is our protocol here to help an individual when they’re having these type of episodes? Do we use the Taser? Do we use a beating?” Washington asked.
After the incident, Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler asked the State Attorney’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Johnson-Davis’ death.
Tyler said the investigation revealed that Johnson-Davis’ death was accidental.
“It’s taken a while. I know the community has had a lot of questions about what was going on. Because it was an open investigation it wouldn’t be proper for me to have made any comments on it,” Tyler said.
The Palmetto police chief said that FDLE and the State Attorney’s Office’s investigation concluded that the officers acted reasonably and their actions were justified that night.
“They have concluded that our officers’ actions had nothing to do with his death,” Tyler said.
The chief said the medical examiner’s report showed that Johnson-Davis’ cause of death was multiple organ failure, following resuscitation from cardiac arrest, which was due to “spontaneous ventricular arrhythmia,” “acute intoxication with methamphetamine” and a synthetic stimulate.
Washington told the on Tuesday, she plans to have the department of justice conduct an independent investigation into the case.
“I’m broken, my heart is shattered, and I would have thought that it would have been a better outcome here today. But it’s not,” Davis mother Tracey Washington said.
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