‘What was the justification?’: Crime expert questions deputy actions during deadly Oakleaf shooting

After reviewing new video, First Coast News’ crime and safety expert is questioning the use of deadly force by a Clay County deputy in Oakleaf Plantation.

OAKLEAF PLANTATION, Fla. — A man shot and killed by deputies in Oakleaf Plantation on Saturday was wanted out of Mississippi on a homicide warrant, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators identified the man as 48-year-old Morris Anthony Davis.

The Vicksburg Police Department confirmed with First Coast News that Davis was charged with murder in 2013 and bound over to the grand jury in 2014, though the exact status of that case remains unclear.

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The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said deputies encountered Davis Saturday while assisting the Florida Department of Children and Families during an investigation at a home in the Silver Bluff neighborhood of Oakleaf Plantation. During the investigation, the agency said deputies learned about Davis’ warrant.

Deputies said Davis, armed with two knives, ran from the home and resisted efforts to take him into custody.

According to the sheriff’s office, Davis ran into a neighbor’s backyard, where deputies attempted to de-escalate the situation. Investigators said deputies tried multiple times to use a taser, but those efforts were unsuccessful.

Deputies said Davis was ultimately shot by Deputy D. Brown and, despite life-saving efforts, died at the scene.

The shooting is now under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office. Per department policy, Brown has been placed on administrative leave while the sheriff’s office conducts a use-of-force review.

New cellphone video obtained after the shooting shows moments leading up to the deadly encounter.

In the video, Davis can be heard saying, “Please kill me. I’d rather die than be sent back to jail,” while deputies repeatedly order him to drop a knife. Davis is seen on the ground holding what looks like a kitchen knife while multiple deputies stand several feet away with weapons drawn.

The Clay County chapter of the NAACP is now calling for a full and thorough investigation into the shooting.

First Coast News crime and safety expert and former law enforcement officer, Ken Jefferson, reviewed the cellphone video. 

“It was a pretty disturbing video just to watch,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson said Davis appeared to be in a mental health crisis, pointing to repeated statements heard in the video where Davis asked deputies to kill him rather than return to jail.

While Jefferson acknowledged Davis was armed and remained a threat because he still had a knife, he questioned whether deadly force was necessary at the moment shots were fired.

“My question is, if he’s on the ground, even though he has a knife, you’re far enough away, there’s no apparent danger to the officers or anyone else, why don’t you continue to negotiate that knife out of his hand?” Jefferson said.

Jefferson also questioned what threat justified the gunfire, saying officers typically shoot to stop a threat.

“The question comes back again, what was the threat?”

First Coast News has reached out to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State Attorney’s Office, and the Vicksburg Mississippi Sheriff’s Office seeking clarification on when deputies learned Davis had a homicide warrant out of Mississippi and what homicide case he was wanted in connection to. We also asked how recent the warrant was, whether Mississippi authorities had alerted Florida agencies that Davis could be in the area, and whether extradition efforts were already underway before Saturday’s encounter.

Questions remain about the circumstances that brought deputies to the home in the first place. CCSO previously said deputies were assisting the Department of Children and Families with an investigation, but it is unclear what prompted the DCF response or whether the home on Pebble Stone Court was where Davis had been living.

First Coast News also asked the sheriff’s office whether the encounter was considered a mental health crisis and why deadly force was used at the moment Davis was shot.

Those questions had not been answered as of Tuesday.