In the courtroom he's known as the "Giant Killer," and now his office
is taking on a high profile case that started with the death of a
Jacksonville grandfather. Willie Gary is known on the first coast for
hosting his annual Willie Gary Classic. First Coast News has confirmed
that Gary's office has agreed to take the Sammy Lee Evans case, though
it's not clear yet what kind of legal action Evans's family may seek.
The FBI has been called in to investigate what happened to Evans when
Jacksonville Sheriff's Deputies took him into custody in Springfield
earlier this month. Some community leaders have raised questions of
police brutality in connection with Evans's death and the death of a
homeless inmate at the Duval County Jail just a few days later. Evans
and two other men were stopped for having open containers. After Evans
was taken into custody, Sheriff's deputies noticed he was no longer
responsive and called for emergency help. Evans died. While autopsy
results have not been released, police say Evans died because of a
broken neck. A rookie with the JSO who had just been reprimanded for
using excessive force while arresting a teenager was also involved in
Evans's arrest. That officer, Kaleb Underwood, has since resigned from
the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. [more]
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