Lawyers for the man killed last year by Osceola County deputy sheriffs as he tried to leave the scene of an alleged shoplifting filed a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Office, citing “excessive, unreasonable and unnecessary force.”
The pending federal lawsuit, which names Sheriff Marcos López, comes a year since 20-year-old Jayden Baez was gunned down by deputies Christopher Koffinas and Ramy Yacoub, who for the first time since the incident have been publicly named. Mark NeJame and Albert Yonfa, the lawyers representing Baez’s family who are filing the complaint, will speak to reporters at 2:30 p.m.
Jay Jarrod of NeJame Law, who issued a press release announcing the lawsuit, also claimed the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office is investigating the Sheriff’s Office for its handling of the shooting. NeJame and Yonfa previously criticized OCSO as trying to engage in a cover-up, including falsifying reports.
The State Attorney’s Office has not responded to questions seeking to confirm its investigation into the Sheriff’s Office.
“There has been a lack of transparency throughout from Sheriff López and others within his department,” Jarrod said. “Any other investigations that may be occurring are for others to address.”
In April 2022, deputies in unmarked vehicles participating in a nearby training exercise converged on the car driven by Baez after reports of shoplifting involving about $46 worth of pizza and trading cards. Deputies opened fire as Baez tried to flee, killing Baez and injuring two passengers. Charges against the two passengers for the alleged shoplifting were later dropped.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, tasked with investigating the shooting, submitted its report to the State Attorney’s Office months later, but State Attorney Monique Worrell has yet to issue a decision regarding any charges. Past attempts to obtain FDLE’s investigative file and Baez’s autopsy report have been denied.
“All of the victims of this case support the efforts of State Attorney Monique Worrell in her efforts to seek justice for them, which they believe essential to arriving at the truth concerning their lawsuit,” Jarrod said in the release. “All of them look forward to their day in court so that the full truth comes out and not be further suppressed.”
But Baez’s family’s lawyers have accused the Sheriff’s Office of covering up the events leading to and following the shooting, pointing to reports filed on the same day at the same time more than a week after it happened. Experts have criticized the deputies’ tactics in the shooting, calling it a “tactical nightmare” to use force in response to shoplifting.
López has deflected criticism of his deputies in the incident and said in a townhall meeting that he wasn’t planning on changing procedures in the wake of the shooting and a fire caused by a deputy at a Wawa gas station in Orlando while chasing a suspect that February.
“We are here to do a job. Unfortunately, sometimes outcomes aren’t as pretty as people want to see it. However we’re going to continue to do our job unless someone deems it not right or unconstitutional,” López said at the time. “We’re not going to change any of our protocols or any of our tactics.”
The Sheriff’s Office has not responded to an email seeking comment on the pending lawsuit.