Jacksonville, FL rally demands justice for Charles Faggart
Jacksonville, FL – Dozens of people gathered on the steps of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Memorial Building Tuesday, April 7, marking one year since Charles Faggart was killed inside the Duval County Jail.
Faggart's family stood alongside the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), demanding answers.
It's been a full year since Faggart, a 31-year-old food truck owner, was arrested on misdemeanor charges. His bond was set at $8500. On April 7, 2025, he was rushed from the jail to UF Health with critical injuries. The next day, Sheriff T.K. Waters held a news briefing about an injured inmate. On April 10, Faggart was declared brain dead.
Twelve months later, his family still doesn't know what actually happened to him.
No charges have been filed against any of the nine corrections officers involved. The FBI investigation Waters requested is still open, with no updates for the public. And JSO (the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office) keeps pointing to that “ongoing investigation” as the reason they won't release anything.
“We came here today because one year ago, my son was taken from us, and we still know nothing,” said Tracey Karpas, Faggart's mother.
Karpas has sued Sheriff Waters and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to force them to turn over records, including any video footage of what happened that day. That case is still pending.
The only real window into Faggart's death has come from his medical records.
Family attorneys obtained records from UF Health that tell a very different story than what JSO initially put out. Doctors who treated Faggart found:
-– No fentanyl in his system, contradicting the heavily redacted JSO report that claimed Faggart told officers he had done fentanyl.
-– No seizure, even though JSO listed a seizure as the reason for the medical emergency.
-– Taser barbs removed from his back. That detail never showed up in the redacted JSO report.
-– Multiple broken bones: nasal bone fractures, facial fractures, rib fractures.
-– Significant damage to his kidneys and liver.
-– Lung damage and signs of pepper spray exposure.
Amelia Moss, an organizer with JCAC, tied Faggart's case to the broader fight over a proposed $1 billion new jail. She argued that building a new facility won't fix the problems inside the current one; those problems will just move to a new building. The money, she said, would be better spent elsewhere in the community.
JCAC has pledged to keep standing with Faggart's family and friends until they get the answers they've been waiting for.