Shirley McDaniel couldn’t hide her cries and sobs. Her son Vernell Bing Jr. was shot in the head by an officer after a high-speed chase and crash in Springfield on Sunday.
“They shot my boy from behind. One time wasn’t enough,” she said.
McDaniel and her family watched Jacksonville Sheriff's Office's Monday news conference from our news truck.
They shook their heads in disagreement and left wanting more answers.
“If we commit a crime here on the street and that person is turned and walked away from us – what we learn in the law is that, that’s not self-defense. Where do you feel that your life is in danger at that point?” Tasha Thomas asked.
According to JSO, Vernell Bing, Jr. led them on a chase from Moncrief, through downtown and then to Springfield.
A collision with an officer's car landed his Camaro in front of a store on 9th and Liberty Street.
Witnesses say he then got out, and was shot in the head.
Octavia Dixon saw it all.
“How am I supposed to tell my kids to trust the police, the police are the good people, when they just witnessed what they did right in front of them?” she asked.
Bing is 22 year old with a baby on the way. Loved ones gathered where his body lay and community groups came together to show their support.
McDaniel says nothing can change the circumstances but for peace of mind, she needs justice.
“There’s other actions that could have been taken, but he took what he wanted and he took my son.”