Some called it a time to reconnect with the community, while others called it stunt by law enforcement to redirect public attention.
Some residents felt their voices went unheard Tuesday night, when the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and Gainesville Police held a meeting to discuss Sunday’s fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy.
Inside the Powerhouse Family Worship Center at 6 p.m., residents expressed a mix of anger and understanding, along with a sense of heartbreak that pervaded room.
On Sunday night, Robert Dentmond, a sophomore at Gainesville High School, called police and said he was intent on shooting himself with an M16 assault rifle.
Dentmond stood in the middle of a parking lot at Majestic Oaks Apartments, where nine law enforcement officers fired their weapons and killed him after a tense standoff.
Alba Berroa, a Majestic Oaks Apartment resident, said Dentmond was asking for help when he called 911.
Sheriff Sadie Darnell said the incident, however tragic, was an example of textbook policing.
Though Dentmond’s weapon turned out to be a plastic BB gun, law enforcement officers are trained to take all credible threats seriously.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating the matter.
GPD Chief Tony Jones said authorities requested the FDLE’s involvement for the sake of transparency. FDLE is not required to investigate officer-involved shootings in every Florida city.
Florida Senate Bill 810: Investigation of Lethal Force by Law Enforcement Officers and Florida House Bill 933: Investigation of Lethal Force by Law Enforcement Officers both would have required law enforcement to report any case involving lethal force to FDLE.
Both were struck down March 11.
The nine law enforcement officers involved in Sunday’s shooting are currently on non-patrol duties.
At the meeting Tuesday, Santa Fe College student Jecomiah Walker felt the community’s voice was stifled, citing a large attendance of residents and a small representation of elected officials and mental-health experts.
“It’s like they’re sweeping everybody’s emotions under the rug, and it’s only frustrating people that’s in here trying to speak,” Walker said.
Instead of placing all the blame on law enforcement, Darnell said, the entire community should receive eight hours of mental health care training. Darnell said ACSO has the highest percentage of law enforcement personnel with Crisis Intervention Training in Florida. Both ACSO and GPD recommend 40 hours of instruction to receive CIT certification.
Three ACSO officers and one GPD officer who were present on Sunday had their CIT certifications.
Berroa, who lives in Dentmond’s former building, said law enforcement not only killed Dentmond, but also put the safety of residents at risk.
In the parking lot, Berroa’s white Toyota has a bullet lodged in the windshield and a hole on the trunk.
As her neighbor sat on a couch with her husband Sunday night, a stray bullet broke through her wall and hit the TV, Berroa said.
A bullet that struck an adjacent apartment narrowly missed a young girl who sat in her bedroom, she said.
Dentmond’s sister wanted to reason with her brother, Berroa said, but police did not allow residents to enter the active crime scene.
“And a lot of people want to know why things wasn’t done differently,” she said. “Like, why so excessive?”
She said tear gas, mace or a trained sharpshooter could have all ended the situation without ending the teenager’s life.
Ian Brandon, a Micanopy resident who works in Gainesville, protested the shooting Tuesday afternoon outside GPD Headquarters.
“They need training in de-escalation and crisis intervention, not just, ‘Do what I say or I’ll kill you,’ Brandon said. “That’s the only training they got right now.”
Darnell said the deputies are well trained, and that only additional funding would help improve ACSO practices
“We can’t diagnose,” she said. “We can try our best to de-escalate. We can try our best to establish a rapport, but we need the help of professionals.”
“Like it or not,” she said, “it boils down to money.”
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo.
