Man taken off life support after officer-involved shooting

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Vernell Bing, 22, has died after being shot in the head by an officer following a high-speed chase and head-on crash in Jacksonville’s Springfield neighborhood.

Bing was taken off life support Monday. His mother said that Bing had a son on the way.

On Sunday, an officer noticed a red Chevrolet Camaro with a black convertible top and shiny rims. The vehicle was reported stolen in March and connected to a shoot-out on April 16 at the 11th Street Tire Shop.

Officer Tyler L. Landreville pursued the car, which lasted about 5 minutes and about four miles, Chief Chris Butler said Monday in a news conference.

According to data records from the vehicles, the driver of the Camaro crashed into the cruiser while at a speed of 53 miles per hour without braking, and the cruiser was traveling at 14 miles per hour and braking.

Bing got out of the vehicle and the officer fired his gun five times, striking Bing once on the left side of the head, Butler said.

“I don’t know what caused police Officer Landreville to discharge his weapon at that time. Something caused him to do that,” said Butler.

Butler encourages witnesses to come forward and provide information about the officer-involved shooting.

"If there are other individuals out there in the public who saw what happened, I encourage them to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and let us know," Butler said. "We want exactly what the public wants. We want a thorough investigation and with your help, we can make sure that any witnesses that might be out there will come forward and give us that information."

No gun was found on Bing or in his car, Butler said.

"They killed my son. They shot my son five times, not one time," said Shirley McDaniel, the suspect's mother.

Landreville, who is a seven-year veteran, was taken to UF Health Jacksonville after his patrol car was hit. He was discharged from the hospital hours after the crash.

Butler said JSO has not spoken to Landreville since the shooting, but JSO has spoken to Landreville’s attorney.

"Nobody is saying anything," McDaniel said. "I've been getting the runaround. The sheriff, nobody has been to see me."

JSO said it will conduct an internal investigation into the shooting and the State Attorney's Office will conduct its own concurrent investigation. Councilman Reggie Gaffney is calling for a federal independent investigation into this shooting, and JSO as a whole.

"I'm here for one reason, to support this family," Gaffney said. "I'm going to ask the sheriff to get the Justice Department in. I want an independent agency to take a look at the whole scene."

The NAACP sent a statement Monday saying:

"The Jacksonville Branch of the NAACP looks forward to continuing its work with Sheriff Mike Williams and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office pertaining to many issues that affect our community. However, we have a great concern as it relates to the potential excessive use of force incidents involving multiple members Jacksonville Sheriff's Officers over the last few weeks. We are looking for a complete and thorough investigation that will reveal the truth of those incidents."

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is calling for JSO officers to start wearing body cameras.

“We would have the objective evaluation of video and sound. That is what we need if we’re going to make this relationship between this department and the community better,” said SCLC spokesman Ben Frazier.

Funding is a big thing,” said Butler. “There are grants. However, you’ve got to remember the grants, it’s not sustainable. Typically they come in with money, give you money for a certain period of time. Then it’s up to the agency to make sure that they continue to cover the cost.”

Action News Jax Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson said he thinks it’s worth the price.

“Let’s outfit these officers now so we won’t have these issues, so we won’t have the public uproar, and got forbid, civil unrest,” said Jefferson.

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