The family of the 16-year-old Khlayah Wright is suing the former Duval Schools Police Chief, Michael Edwards, over a shooting that left one teen dead and two others injured.
In August 2018, a fight broke out between two teen boys during a football game at Raines High School. Authorities say that former Raines student, 19-year-old Joerod Jamel Adams, was shot and killed by 16-year-old Robert Howard following an altercation that broke out in the stands.
The boys were ejected from the stands after the fight broke out; however, the boys were able to get back into the game where the shooting eventually occurred.
Authorities say that Howard targeted Adams and another 17-year-old boy and following the fight, Howard fired a fatal bullet into Adams’ head. Stray bullets struck the 17-year-old boy that was with Adams, injuring him. Another stray bullet struck sixteen-year-old Khlayah Wright, injuring her in the foot.
The family of Khlayah Wright explains in their amended lawsuit that the then-Duval Schools Police Chief Michael Edwards did not do enough to de-escalate and properly address the situation which eventually led to the shooting.
The family, along with their attorney Robert Spohrer, had previously filed a lawsuit against the Duval County School Board Police and accused them of not doing enough to prevent the shooting. However, that trial resulted in a hung jury following the school district's denial that there were any red flags that the shooting would have occurred.
Following the trial, however, a statewide grand jury report detailed that the Duval County School Board Police had a history of underreporting crimes. The scathing report highlighted Edwards specifically as being an officer who did not live up to safety and legal standards.
After the teen boys got into a fight, the family accuses Edwards of stepping in when another DCPS officer attempted to arrest Adams and Howard. The lawsuit details that Edwards told the DCPS officer not to arrest the boys or charge them with trespassing. After the boys were released under the advice of Edwards, Howard returned to the area and shot Adams. The family says that had the boys been arrested, the shooting could have been prevented.
The grand jury report seemingly supports the claims that officers did not take proper action to ensure the safety of the school community.
According to the grand jury report, between 2016 and 2020, Edwards had on numerous occasions downplayed the criminal behavior of students. The report detailed that if victims chose not to report a crime or press charges, Edwards directed officers to file an information report and close the case instead of filing an offense report.
Over 2,600 information reports were reviewed by the grand jury, which found that a majority of the reports rose to the level of felonies. However, none of these reports were ever treated as a crime. The report highlighted that the school law enforcement engaged in “intentional mislabeling and underreporting of criminal activity in Florida’s public schools” as an effort to make them appear safer than they actually were. After the scathing report was issued, Edwards resigned from his position as head of DCPS.
Edwards’ legal team pushed back against the allegations made in the lawsuit. Attorney David Barksdale shared in defense of Edwards that “The Grand Jury’s Final Report reports that the Office of Statewide Prosecution will not bring formal charges against Mr. Edwards. Mr. Edwards has devoted 36 years of his life to protecting and serving the citizens of Duval County. He is thankful for all the support he has received during this journey. He is proud of his 36 years of law enforcement service to our community.”
Wright’s family says that their daughter suffered extensive injuries which have left her permanently disabled. The family is seeking $30,000 or more as a result of her injuries.
