During the City Council meeting on Tuesday evening, Titusville Police Chief John Lau gave an update on the officer-involved shooting that took place on December 26th, 2021
Below is a transcript of what Chief Lau said during the City Council Meeting:
TPD Chief John Lau
“An update on our investigation and I have to preface this by saying we really can’t get into any particulars. Namely number one is because it’s not our investigation. Our protocol is any police involved shooting, we immediately call Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That is the agency that oversees law enforcement throughout the entire state of Florida. So what I’m really going to try to do is hit on expectations of timeline and how how the flow is going to work. So they do have the case, the Department of Law Enforcement came out that night.
In addition, we called out Brevard County Sheriff’s Office to do the crime scene and to take all of the measurements and pictures and all of the evidence that was collected by Sheriff Ivey’s folks in their crime scene departments. That investigation Florida Department of Law Enforcement will likely take two to three months to do their investigation. Part of that investigation are toxicology reports, which are just the nature of the business, can take upwards of 90 days to get those results back. When they’re done, they actually will present their findings to the state attorney’s office. And at that time, State Attorney Phil Archer and his folks will review the case and they will determine if there’s any criminal this is all on the criminal side of things. And they’ll they can either go to Grand Jury, they can indict, or they can exonerate, when they are done with what they’re doing.
That’s when the case comes back to the Titusville Police Department, where our professional standards and more specifically Internal Affairs Section will take over. And their scope is going to be to determine if there was any policy violations, strictly rules regulations and any violations as an employee. So that’s an administrative investigation, not the criminal side. So all of the criminal investigation will be done by outside agencies. And at that time, when the internal affairs investigation is done, that is when we analyze all the information and we determine what actions if any agency in the city will take and at that time, when we will be able to be transparent with the who the What the Where, and, and have a reveal of all the evidence and so we’re probably looking at mid April to even beginning of May is when the timeline on that is and and again at this point. We would rather have it correct, accurate and done for because that’s really what it’s all about. But did you have any questions?”
Mayor Dan Deisel asks
“I’m just gonna ask about the timeline and that is mid April. That’s the FDLE earliest possible conclusion?”
Chief John Lau replies
“That’s when they will unveil in the State Attorney’s Office will we’ll be reviewing that evidence it’ll come to us then our internal affairs investigation. We’re able to do a lot of the policy work now. So we’re kind of double duty where it’s it doesn’t involve any of the details. It’s involving our policies and getting training records and getting all the background stuff, information and so when it comes to us, it’s actually going to be much quicker on the admin side.”
Councilmember JoLynn Nelson asked if the DNA lab was backed up like always.
Chief Lau responds, “Yeah, it’s unfortunate. With technology, increasing constantly. There’s more and more submissions for evidence and that creates the the backlog in Abilene themselves. Their lab is extremely backward. It’s not. It’s not uncommon for us to use an outside DNA lab. It’s a little bit more money but we’ve already offered to have that done to improve the timing. It’s a lab that works on FDLE cases. It’s located in South Florida”
Author: SpaceCoast Mike
Raised on the Space Coast, I want to keep North Brevard informed of what's happening. Send Tips / Story Ideas to TitusvilleMedia@gmail.com
I am 73 yrs old and have lived in Titusville for 10 yrs. they have come into my house (breaking into the backyard and thru the garage into my kitchen) to do a “welfare check” because of an ANONYMOUS
PHONE CALL they received from a passerby who doesn’t even live in this neighborhood, I believe. They announced themselves in my kitchen early one morning in May last year. “POLICE> COME OUT!!!”
I couldn’t believe it. just couldn’t wrap my brain around this happening!!!!
and—-EVEN THOUGH it was in the midst of the COVID 19 frenzied public fright over it, these “COPS” (I now call them “people playing at being cops”—-were NOT wearing masks. nope, they weren’t.
and I am a 73 yr. old female with a serious health condition (“COPD” which weakens the lungs), and I’m having to stand there listening to these fools. playing at police work.
a few days ago, they pounded on my front door. (I believe it was them). because by the time I cursed good and loud for them to hear, and got outside, their car was parked across the street in front of my neighbor’s house. I still have to check with them to find out why.
I am sick of their “playing at police work” and them “practicing on me”.
I am originally from Long Island, NY and NEVER , I repeat NEVER, had the LI police bother me for ANYTHING..
I’ve had it with these “practicing being cops” nincompoops.
it scares me, actually.
I hope the cop that shot that guy fleeing has to go and be tried for it. I hope he spends lots of years locked up for that.
He didn’t even ATTEMPT to at least aim for his foot or his hand perhaps???? He just had to kill him
a moron definitely. a murder was committed that day in this town.
very sad.
PS he could also have just let him run. after awhile he would have had to go home. they could have easily gone and arrested him on that violence charge then.
no, they just had to kill him right then.
big “brave” cops.
yeah, right.