Community divisive over ‘justified’ officer-involved shooting of Christopher Jordan

Reporter: Elizabeth Biro
Published: Updated:

A detective who killed an unarmed black man in a controversial shooting will be back at work on Monday.

The Fort Myers police detective shot Christopher Jordan after he says he saw Jordan point a gun at officers. FDLE’s investigation found Jordan did not have a gun.

Black leaders are saying this is a huge problem, and the mayor is backing the decision to call the shooting justified.

The two sides are far apart, but they all can agree that any loss of life is a tragedy.

They also can agree Cynthia Jordan, the victim’s sister, lied on the 911 call, lied on the scene and State Attorney Amira Fox said even lied under oath in interviews afterward.

Where they disagree is whether the shooting was justified and if the decision in some way could be a license for more cops to kill.

On the scene, Cynthia doubled down and told Fort Myers police officers and detectives the same thing.

“Did he present a firearm and point it towards you?”

“Yes. He did. Yes,” she said.

She said it was a 45 magnum and that her brother was “mollied out.”

Cynthia’s allegations are what state attorney Amira Fox and mayor Kevin Anderson say created the tension.

That danger escalated when detective James Moschella said Jordan, “made movements consistent with loading a handgun and pointed a black handgun at the direction of officers who were not behind cover.”

However, no gun was found, not when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement searched the home shortly after midnight.

Sarah Wilson is an advocate for the Jordan family and got close with them while working with the NAACP.

“If you have bad apples within your department, who now know that they can just say, ‘Oh, I thought I saw a gun.’ I don’t know. I was self-defense, even though I was behind the armored vehicle, you know, that doesn’t. That makes me worry,” Wilson said.

Wilson worries that it sets a dangerous precedent where a police officer doesn’t need to be as careful and can use “what they think they saw” as justification for using deadly force.

Mayor Kevin Anderson, a former Fort Myers police officer himself, doesn’t see it that way.

“I have complete confidence that state attorney Amira Fox did a thorough investigation, her team did a thorough investigation, and they did not see were the actions of the police officer was not justified,” Anderson said.

So, what happens now?

Jordan’s brother and the local NAACP plan to get the FBI and or the Department of Justice involved.

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