BAKER COUNTY, Fla. – The family of a man shot and killed by Baker County deputies told News4JAX on Thursday that they want answers.
In a report obtained by News4JAX, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office lists the incident involving Boris Garcia, 31, as a suicide but Garcia’s family doesn’t think so.
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It will now be up to the medical examiner to determine how he died.
His family said Garcia was a hardworking man who touched many lives and brought light to the world.
When asked about the case, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office said it couldn’t give News4JAX specifics but said deputies shot Garcia as soon as they got out of their cruisers.
A report that is partially redacted said Garcia was stabbing himself, but his family member said they don’t believe that happened. A family member who didn’t want to be named looked over the report on Thursday.
“He wasn’t a delinquent for them to kill him,” they said.
On Sunday morning, around 8 a.m., the Baker County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to a report that a man was stabbing himself while standing next to a vehicle on an exit ramp from Interstate 10. Deputies arrived and shortly after they shot him. The report doesn’t say why. That’s the question his family wants answered.
“Why didn’t they help him if he was taking his own life?” the family member said. “We want to know did he die from the stabbing or from the bullets that came from the cops?”
It could be a while before they get answers.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement took over the case and is locking up body-camera video and deputy reports until the investigation is complete.
The report obtained by News4JAX was written by a deputy who responded to the incident after the shooting.
His family questions if deputies could’ve prevented his death.
“He was a good person. He didn’t like problems with anyone that’s why we want to see you do a complete video why did the police take his life?” the family member said.
The Sheriff’s Office told News4JAX it is willing to send a representative to meet with the family and provide any answers it can with the investigation just starting. The family didn’t indicate if they would talk to the Sheriff’s Office or not.
The family has set up an online fundraiser to help send Garcia’s body back to his family in Guatemala.