Black Leaders & Wife Of Gregory Edwards Demand Release Of Tapes Showing Altercation At Florida Sheriff’s Office
The wife of Gregory Edwards along with three black community leaders are demanding the release of tapes showing an altercation with Edwards and officers at a Florida Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities say Edwards, a 38-year-old decorated veteran, got into a confrontation with a Brevard County Sheriff’s Office deputy while being processed on December 9, 2018. After falling to the floor, as many as seven deputies kneed and beat him. In addition to spraying him with a chemical agent, shocking him with a stun gun, then handcuffing and strapping him into a restraint chair with his face covered with a spit hood.
Edwards, who was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eventually lost consciousness after having sat in the chair for nearly 16 minutes. The following day he died in a hospital. Now his wife, Kathleen Edwards, and a group of community leaders, who were cited by the Sheriff’s office, are pushing for them to release the footage from the jail.
In July 2019, State Attorney Phil Archer cleared the deputies of any wrongdoing and instead, commended them for their actions. However, the BCSO Staff Services Unit opened their own investigation and found that four deputies violated a general policy of maintaining “Professional Duty Responsibilities” during the altercation. Edwards’ wife is now working with an attorney and has looked to open an independent investigation into her husband’s death.