The family of 22-year-old Asia Bennett is demanding answers after a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officer shot and killed her during a domestic violence call, and ubiquitous civil rights attorney Ben Crump is now helping them push for transparency.
According to News4JAX, JSO officers responding to a reported dispute on Aug. 11 were told Bennett had a knife. Police say she refused commands to drop it and advanced toward an officer, who shot her. Authorities claim Bennett later tried to get up while still holding the knife, prompting a second shot. She ultimately died after being taken to a hospital.
But Bennett’s family and Crump are calling that account into serious question. Witnesses reportedly dispute the timeline, saying the second shot happened so quickly that Bennett could not have gotten back up and advanced toward officers as police claim. The family also says Bennett was a victim of domestic violence, not the threat JSO portrayed her as.
“We believe it was criminal how she killed Asia Bennett,” Crump said, referring to the officer. “But the breaking news is that she was shot in the back while she was on her hands and knees.”
According to JAX Today, Crump continued his comments:
“She was on the ground, not posing any threat,” Crump said. “The law is clear: Law enforcement cannot use deadly force unless the person poses an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer.
“How was Asia a threat while she’s on the ground on her hands and knees? How was Asia a threat if she was shot from her side in her back? … Courts have determined that force must stop the moment the threat is neutralized.”
Crump is demanding the release of body camera footage and questioning how a call involving an alleged domestic violence victim ended with her being shot twice. Now, the family wants the public to see exactly what happened. Because when police say one thing and witnesses say another, transparency should not be treated like a favor.
