State attorney suggests police academies review Brevard County deputy-involved shooting investigation

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A state attorney sent a letter to local law enforcement training academies proposing that they review a recent deputy-involved shooting investigation.

State Attorney Phil Archer sent the letters to Eastern State and Seminole State Colleges after announcing that no charges would be filed after a Brevard County deputy shot and killed a 16-year-old and 18-year-old in Cocoa.

READ: Deputy who fatally shot 16-year-old, 18-year-old won’t be charged, state attorney says

“We do not comment on agency policy, procedures and training requirements,” Archer wrote in the letters. “However, I did express my concern in the statement for situations in which an officer is in a physical position where it becomes necessary to use deadly force to eliminate the threat from a moving vehicle.”

He went on to request that the programs consider reviewing the investigation to “determine if there are any potential changes or modifications that may be appropriate to the training presented to the students in your law enforcement academy.”

READ: Family of teen shot by Brevard deputy demands release of FDLE report

Archer released a 12-page report outlining his decision to not file criminal charges for the use of deadly force by Brevard County Sheriff’s Deputy Jafet Santiago-Miranda last week.

Investigators said Santiago-Miranda shot and killed 16-year-old Angelo Crooms and 18-year-old Sincere Pierce last November on Stetson Drive in Cocoa following a traffic stop.

READ: Deputy involved in fatal shooting has history of violence, “unacceptable” behavior, records show

Archer’s report stated that “evidence and testimony provided by the FDLE and BCSO investigations, held insufficient evidence for the State to prove at trial that Deputy Santiago was not acting in self-defense, a legal justification for the use of deadly force.”

Video: ‘We refuse to remain silent’: Lawsuit calls for DOJ investigation into Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Civil rights attorney Ben Crump held a news conference in Brevard County on Friday to announce a lawsuit over the deputy-involved shooting. (Karen Parks, WFTV.com)