JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has been retained by the family of Asia Bennett, a 22-year-old Jacksonville woman who was shot and killed by a Jacksonville Sheriff’s officer Tuesday night.
Crump and the Bennett family are calling on JSO to release all body-camera footage, 911 calls and dispatch records related to the shooting.
[RELATED: ‘She’s the sweetest’: Outraged mom identifies 22-year-old woman shot and killed by JSO]
What JSO says happened
According to JSO, officers were called to a home on Westdale Drive near Pine Bluff Drive on Tuesday around 10:45 p.m. for a report of a battery with injuries.
Investigators said a man approached an officer as she arrived and told her he had argued with his girlfriend (Bennett), who was still inside the home and armed with a knife.
As the officer turned toward the home, JSO said, Bennett came outside carrying multiple items.
JSO said the officer told her to drop everything in her hands. The woman put some items down, but still held a large kitchen knife, according to the JSO.
JSO said the officer gave loud, verbal commands for Bennett to drop the knife, but she moved toward the officer. The officer then fired one shot, JSO said.
Bennett fell to the ground but did not drop the knife, and then tried to get up and again moved toward the officer, prompting a second shot, according to JSO.
A backup officer arrived and also gave loud, verbal commands to drop the knife.
Investigators said Bennett eventually dropped the knife, and she was taken into custody. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue treated her at the scene before she was taken to a hospital, where she died.
JSO said five other people were inside the home at the time. The boyfriend was treated for minor injuries.
This is the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s 13th officer-involved shooting of the year, JSO said.
Attorney Ben Crump Responds
Crump released the following statement:
“Asia Bennett was 22 years old and weighed just 110 pounds. She is dead, and the only account the public has comes from the agency whose officer fired the shots. Within hours, that agency was at a podium talking about an arrest from April. The State Attorney’s own Special Victims Unit read that evidence and refused to prosecute Asia.
“The body-camera footage and the 911 calls can show whether there was any way this ended with Asia alive. Release them.
“This family deserves justice and truth. They will not accept a version of events they are asked to take on faith.”
Crump is also asking JSO to confirm whether Bennett’s boyfriend has been interviewed and whether he can be located.
Mother wants answers
Bennett’s mother told News4JAX her daughter was a domestic violence victim and she believes police should have been helping her.
Crissy Duncan said she got a call from someone with the State Attorney’s Office just before 4 a.m. Wednesday. They asked if she knows an Asia Bennett.
“I said, ‘I’m her mother. What did she do?’ She goes, ‘No, she had a domestic dispute.’ I said, ‘Is she ok?’ They’re like, ‘No, she’s not OK. Miss Duncan, your... your daughter’s dead. Asia Bennett’s dead. She died.’”
Duncan said she is outraged by the shooting, saying her daughter was not violent or dangerous and only weighed 110 pounds.
“I would have never thought JSO would have killed my kid. She is so tiny… she’s the sweetest. You would never hear nothing from Asia,“ said Duncan. ”They killed my kid. In vain."
The State Attorney’s Office is investigating the shooting. A JSO use-of-force review is expected to follow.