Deputy thinks an Acorn hitting the roof of his car is gunfire so he unloaded his firearm at his own car that had an unarmed suspect inside. This is next level incompetence.
The incident took place in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Deputies from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a man named Marquis Jackson.
Jackson’s girlfriend had called the police, accusing him of stealing her car and sending her threatening text messages.
Deputies located Jackson, detained him, handcuffed him behind his back, and placed him in the backseat of a standard patrol vehicle for questioning.
Deputy Jesse Hernandez, a trainee at the time, was walking back toward the patrol vehicle where Jackson was being held. As he approached the passenger side of the car, a small acorn fell from an overhead tree and struck the roof of the vehicle.
Because of the metallic thud it made on the roof, Deputy Hernandez misidentified the sound as a muffled gunshot from inside the vehicle. What followed was a massive cascade of panic:
Hernandez immediately fell to the ground, rolled, and began screaming, "Shots fired! Shots fired! I'm hit! I'm hit!"
Believing he had been shot in the torso and that Jackson was actively firing at him through the car windows, Hernandez drew his weapon and fired multiple rounds into the patrol car.
Hearing her partner’s screams and weapon fire, Sergeant Beth Roberts—who was also on the scene—assumed they were under fire. She drew her weapon and also opened fire on the vehicle.
In total, the two officers fired more than 20 rounds into the patrol car.
Despite the patrol car being riddled with bullets and shattered glass, Marquis Jackson was completely uninjured. Because he was handcuffed, he could only lean away and press himself as low as possible into the floorboard/seat crack of the vehicle to avoid the gunfire.
Deputy Hernandez was also not injured. After the dust settled, medical staff confirmed he had not been shot; his belief that he was hit was likely a psychological reaction to intense panic (often referred to as a phantom injury).
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office conducted an extensive internal investigation into the shooting.
The investigation concluded that Deputy Hernandez’s use of force was not objectively reasonable. While Hernandez genuinely believed he was under threat, the investigation found no evidence of any weapon on Jackson, nor any reasonable justification for mistaking an acorn for a gunshot.
Sergeant Roberts' use of force was found to be legally justified under the "fellow officer rule," as she was reacting to what she reasonably believed was her partner being shot.
Deputy Hernandez resigned from the sheriff's office during the investigation, effectively ending his career in law enforcement.
Sheriff Eric Aden publicly released the bodycam footage and issued a formal apology to Marquis Jackson and the community, stating that the department failed in its duty to protect a suspect in their custody.
Ultimately, Jackson was cleared of any wrongdoing regarding the shooting, and the event remains a textbook example used in law enforcement training regarding hyper-vigilance and the dangers of misinterpreting sensory input during high-stress situations.
How does it make you feel knowing all these “privileged” celebrities get the best seats at the NBA Finals for free, while real fans are being overcharged?
A witness has recently come forward in Karmelo Anthony’s defense and confirmed that Austin Metcalf and his identical twin brother Hunter Metcalf intentionally approached Karmelo when he was on his phone and minding his own business. They both put hands on him, grabbed him, punched him, and Karmelo reacted in self-defense‼️👀
This should be Case closed‼️🤔
🛑 When do white suspects ever get an ALL BLACK jury?
This judge has demanded NO CAMERAS, a gag order and now he and the "prosecutors" have approved a racially cleansed jury in a city that had had a nonstop racial harassment campaign against the family.
No corruption here at all
Two of the most prosperous slave owners in North Carolina in the 1840’s were Asian brothers Chang & Eng Bunker who were Siamese Twins for the Ringling Bro. Circus.
Two of their Asian sons even fought for the Confederacy.
#HappyBlackHistoryMonth
One of the most brutal scenes in human history has been leaked.
Footage from an Israeli aircraft shows thousands of starving Palestinians running towards an aid truck, before it bombs and kills them all.
A video that the world must never forget.