NAACP wants transparency after deadly officer-involved shooting

Author: Tiffany Rizzo, Zach Oliveri Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
Christopher Jordan
Christopher Jordan. Credit: WINK

The family of a Fort Myers man who was shot and killed during an officer-involved shooting held a news conference Thursday.

Christopher Jordan, 57, was killed in his Stella Street home on Dec. 1 during the shooting, after his sister called Fort Myers police to say she felt threatened by Jordan.

According to FMPD, they attempted to talk to Jordan, who had barricaded himself within his home and allegedly shouted threats while pointing a gun at officers.

The NAACP joined Jordan’s family at the front door of Christopher’s home to discuss and demand answers from Fort Myers Police regarding the shooting.

The NAACP claimed Jordan had a history of mental illness and faulted the police for failing to send a qualified person to help negotiate the situation peacefully.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement had been called to investigate the officer-involved shooting.

The officer who shot Jordan has been placed on administrative leave until the investigation is finished.

During the news conference on Thursday, the NAACP said they want to keep the pressure on the Fort Myers Police Department in its search for answers.

James Muwakkil, the president of the Lee County Branch of the NAACP, said that the NAACP has asked the Department of Justice’s civil rights division for an independent investigation and to bring charges if warranted.

Members of Jordan’s family, along with the NAACP, spoke to reporters demanding transparency from FMPD about what led up to an unnamed officer shooting and killing Jordan on December 1 at this home on Stella Street.

According to Fort Myers police, officers spent 45 minutes speaking with Jordan before they said, “The suspect approached a window displaying a firearm toward the officer and was shot.”

The family and the NAACP are disputing that Jordan had a gun, saying he was nonviolent.

Jordan’s niece, Erica Ruth, was asked how she views justice for her uncle.

“Justice for me is getting the man, the officer that shot my uncle, getting him arrested and fired from the force. Getting charges pressed against him and fired from the force,” she said.

The NAACP said Fort Myers police chief Jason Fields was invited to the news conference.

It’s unclear why he wasn’t in attendance.

The Fort Myers police department has declined to identify the officer at this time.

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