Settlement reached in lawsuit over fatal deputy shooting of teen outside Target
Jayden Baez Mark NeJame in the News

Settlement reached in lawsuit over fatal deputy shooting of teen outside Target

By Shannon Butler | WFTV.com
2 min read

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says the settlement does not mean the county will be responsible for the payment

It has been more than four years since Jayden Baez was shot and killed by Osceola County deputies outside a Target store.

An attorney representing Baez’s family argued the shooting never should have happened. Their attorney Mark Nejame saying,

“We have one person who’s dead, when they had their hands up, and had his finger blown off. Then three bullets shot into each hand and maimed, another shot in the back, and another traumatized.”

In 2022, Osceola County deputies were conducting a training exercise near the Target along West U.S. 192 when they were called to investigate reports of a theft inside the store.

Detectives said two teenagers, Joseph Lowe and Michael Gomez, were seen on surveillance video shoplifting Pokémon cards and a pizza.

According to investigative reports, the teens left the store and got into a car driven by Baez.

Deputies stopped the vehicle in the parking lot.

The Sheriff’s Office said the driver attempted to leave and rammed law enforcement vehicles, prompting deputies to open fire.

Baez was killed. Lowe and Gomez were injured. Nejame saying,

“Justice looks like getting this before a jury.”

But court records now show the case will not go before a jury.

The lawsuit has been closed after the parties reached a one-million-dollar settlement.

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says the settlement does not mean the county will be responsible for the payment.

In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office said:

“The court previously dismissed the Sheriff’s Office from the lawsuit, and the settlement was reached by the Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund on behalf of the involved deputies and the Sheriff’s Office to help all parties avoid the need for further litigation.”

The Sheriff’s Office says the one-million-dollar settlement will be paid by the Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund—not Osceola County taxpayers.

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