JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s been one year since a 31-year-old Duval County inmate was hospitalized following an unspecified “incident” involving nine corrections officers, who were later reassigned to different positions.
Charles Faggart died days later from the injuries he suffered on April 7, 2025.
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Faggart, owner of a food truck and catering company, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of simple assault and criminal mischief on April 1, 2025.
On April 10, 2025, he was officially declared dead.
Many questions remain in the case that was turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in September.
Now, exactly one year after the incident that proved deadly, Faggart’s family is taking their fight for answers to Duval County court.
READ: Full lawsuit filed by Charles Faggart’s family
Belkis Plata, the family’s attorney, filed suit on Tuesday against Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, demanding the release of “the complete public record” related to the incident and investigation, “including all video evidence.”
Formal public records requests have been made for the reports and video, but “those requests have been met with silence,” Plata wrote in a news release announcing the lawsuit.
The lawsuit accuses the sheriff and the agency of “blatantly” violating Florida’s public records laws, “denying the transparency and accountability the law requires and the public is entitled to.”
Many questions remain about Faggart’s death, days after the April 7 incident that led to the suspension of eight corrections officers and one sergeant.
The only information released so far is a heavily redacted report that says six days into Faggart’s misdemeanor jail stay, he was handcuffed for unclear reasons and began acting “aggressive, erratic and disruptive,” prompting a sergeant to order him strapped into a restraint safety chair.
The report said Faggart kept struggling with officers, but key details about what officers did are redacted; it said a mental health director later approved moving him to “self-harm housing,” and officers put an anti-spit mask on him.
The report noted that Faggart said he “did fentanyl,” but medical reports obtained through The Tributary, a Jacksonville nonprofit newsroom, stated that doctors at UF Health who evaluated him observed a broken, bruised and unresponsive Faggart. They concluded he did not have fentanyl in his system.
Faggart was taken out of the chair and put back in minutes later for a redacted reason, the report said. The remaining narrative is largely redacted.
Medical staff arrived, and the paramedics were called. The report listed a “seizure” as the medical emergency, but according to an attorney for Faggart’s family, he was “beaten.”
The UF Health records said doctors determined he did not suffer a seizure and also said a nurse flushed his eyes with saline —suggesting pepper spray—while medical records indicated lung damage.
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The Jacksonville Community Action Coalition plans to hold a vigil and rally at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office headquarters Tuesday evening to demand answers in Faggart’s death. His family is expected to attend.
“The Faggart family is deeply grateful for the continued support from the community,” Plata wrote in the release. “The love and encouragement they have received, from those who knew Charles and those who did not, remain a source of strength as they continue their fight for justice.”
JSO said the corrections officers who were reassigned remain in those roles.
Also, the sheriff’s office said the internal investigation cannot begin until the criminal investigation is finished. JSO provided no additional updates, and the FBI also said it had no new information.