JSO: Man arrested by Jacksonville police had ‘medical emergency,’ died before being booked into jail

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man in Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office custody died Monday evening after they say he suffered “an apparent medical emergency.”

JSO said in a news release that officers conducted a traffic stop on Monday afternoon in Springfield, in the 1900 block of North Main Street, and found “evidence of illegal drug activity.”

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Felix Lamar Turner, 56, was a passenger in the car and “was found to be in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia,” JSO said.

Turner was taken into custody without incident and taken to JSO’s Pre-Trial Detention Facility on the following charges:

• Possession of a Controlled Substance
• Use, or Possess with Intent to Use, Drug Paraphernalia
• Possession of Open Container of Alcoholic Beverage in Vehicle by Passenger

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While he was still in the back of the patrol car and waiting to enter into the jail, JSO said “Turner began to suffer from an apparent medical emergency.”

JSO employees helped him, and then Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department personnel was called to help Turner.

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Turner was taken to a local hospital and was pronounced dead just before 7 p.m.

JSO said its Cold Case and Crime Scene Units are investigating and have found that “there were no altercations prior to or during the arrest and no use of force utilized by members of the agency.”

The Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy on Turner to determine his cause of death.

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