JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Community Action Committee, alongside family and friends are holding a rally and vigil at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office headquarters to honor the life of 31-year-old Charles Faggart and to call for answers surrounding his death.
Today marks one year since the incident involving nine corrections officers that led to Faggart’s death, an event that still leaves many questions unanswered.
Jalicia Lewis with JCAC says the community continues to seek clarity and accountability.
“While you know he was arrested, rights don’t just disappear because you go to jail. Jail is not a death sentence, he deserved justice, his fair share and it was taken from him.”
According to a report from the Jacksonville’s Sheriff’s Office, Faggart had been arrested following a domestic violence incident. On April 7, 2025, while being moved to another cell, he reportedly became aggressive, prompting officers to restrain him.
Sources say pepper spray may have been used during the encounter. Faggart was then placed in a restraint chair and remained there for nearly two hours before being moved to a cell. Officers reported that he experienced a seizure during the incident, though many details afterward are heavily redacted in the report.
Faggart was later transported to a local hospital, where he later died.
Lewis says the purpose of the rally and vigil is both to demand justice and to remember Faggart’s life.
“The hole that one person leaves when they are taken from this planet is big, and I think it’s still not filled, so we want to make sure that Charles, wherever he is, he knows that he’s not alone and that we are thinking about him.”
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