JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville officer involved in a 2025 viral arrest video is back to full duty.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Friday released the details of its Internal Affairs investigation.
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Action News Jax first reported in August when the state found Officer Donald Bowers’ actions were lawful and that no criminal charges would be filed.
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Here’s what we learned about Bowers’ policy violations:
- He was cleared of Unnecessary Use of Force
- JSO did find that Bowers had Failure to Conform to Work Standards. The report said that Bowers did not include his first hit to William McNeil in his report.
- He was given a Written Reprimand and JSO’s investigation is now complete.
We’ve been covering this story since the video went viral in July, several months after the February 2025 traffic stop.
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McNeil was hit twice before his arrest. He has filed a federal lawsuit and is being represented by nationally known civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Harry Daniels.
We have reached out to the attorneys for a comment on this latest development and received the following statement from Daniels:
“The JSO’s internal investigation reflects JSO’s biased view of the events that took place on the day of the incident. Mr. McNeil has initiated a federal lawsuit against the sheriff and others to ensure accountability for the brutal beating he endured. It is crucial for citizens to demand accountability for misconduct, both at the ballot box and in the legal system, as JSO shows no interest in addressing the actions of its officers.”
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