Law Forum : Teenagers who laughed and filmed a disabled man as he drowned may face criminal charges

Clyde C Coger Jr

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Teenagers who laughed and filmed a disabled man as he drowned may face criminal charges

Police have recommended charges for a group of teenagers who allegedly filmed a disabled man as he drowned and did nothing to help.
Five boys between 14 and 16 years old reportedly laughed loudly when 32-year-old Jamel Dunn screamed and was submerged in a retention pond in Cocoa, Florida ...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/teenagers-laughed-filmed-disabled-man-080300381.html

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Jamel Dunn’s body was found three days later and cops will now charge the teens




Rachael Revesz
The IndependentJuly 24, 2017


...

 
May GOD allow this poor man to rest in peace, unfortunately his demise was not by these juveniles hand. As vile they may be & Lord knows they truly are vile they have absolutely no legal obligation to attempt to save his life even if they were 18 years of age or older. I'm quite sure their parents have retained an attorney of low quality who will simply state that they probably cannot swim well enough and do not possess the proper training and skills to attempt a hazardous rescue and didn't want to risk their own lives in a failed attempt to save him while endangering themselves. And that will be that. Since no felony was involved in this mans drowning. Even if the Prosecutors office decides to impanel a grand jury they will never be charged with a State mandated felony but due to their ages at best they will more then likely have to attend a juvenile diversion program, receive Community Service under County juvenile guidelines and ordered to write an apology to the gentleman's survivors. I'm quite sure I have a lot of company when I say more should be done but I cannot see that happening. When I reluctantly watched the video their collective derision and inhuman remarks made me come to the realization that these boys have no souls.
 
I just analyzed the audio track and what will come into play here is why was the gentleman there? Why did he swim into any body of water much less a retention pond fully clothed? Most people who realize they are actually drowning do scream for help. Was his disability physical or psychological? He just had a domestic situation with his fiance so was he suicidal? An autopsy will confirm or rule out illegal drug use. And last but not least these boys attorney will admit into evidence that at least two of the boys did shout out to him to get out of the water. That will weigh heavily in their defense. We just have to see how this plays out.
 
The fact that they were laughing is the most telling part. The ignorance behind it. You can't punish the stupidity of some. They do have an obligation to call 911 I think but not to rescue him. An Olympic swimmer does not have to jump in a save anyone. I want to see the outcome of this. I suspect they can't be held liable for not attempting to rescue.
 
May GOD allow this poor man to rest in peace, unfortunately his demise was not by these juveniles hand. As vile they may be & Lord knows they truly are vile they have absolutely no legal obligation to attempt to save his life even if they were 18 years of age or older. I'm quite sure their parents have retained an attorney of low quality who will simply state that they probably cannot swim well enough and do not possess the proper training and skills to attempt a hazardous rescue and didn't want to risk their own lives in a failed attempt to save him while endangering themselves. And that will be that. Since no felony was involved in this mans drowning. Even if the Prosecutors office decides to impanel a grand jury they will never be charged with a State mandated felony but due to their ages at best they will more then likely have to attend a juvenile diversion program, receive Community Service under County juvenile guidelines and ordered to write an apology to the gentleman's survivors. I'm quite sure I have a lot of company when I say more should be done but I cannot see that happening. When I reluctantly watched the video their collective derision and inhuman remarks made me come to the realization that these boys have no souls.
I just analyzed the audio track and what will come into play here is why was the gentleman there? Why did he swim into any body of water much less a retention pond fully clothed? Most people who realize they are actually drowning do scream for help. Was his disability physical or psychological? He just had a domestic situation with his fiance so was he suicidal? An autopsy will confirm or rule out illegal drug use. And last but not least these boys attorney will admit into evidence that at least two of the boys did shout out to him to get out of the water. That will weigh heavily in their defense. We just have to see how this plays out.
The fact that they were laughing is the most telling part. The ignorance behind it. You can't punish the stupidity of some. They do have an obligation to call 911 I think but not to rescue him. An Olympic swimmer does not have to jump in a save anyone. I want to see the outcome of this. I suspect they can't be held liable for not attempting to rescue.


Not sure why I failed to make a timely reply, back in July, but thanks JenaBee63 for posting today.

All three (3) assessments make good sense and are grounded firmly within the bounds of current law(s), relative to the circumstances surrounding this horrendous event. But because of those circumstances, new measures are being considered, requiring witnesses to help in the future ... If anything comes of this, I will update the Thread.



"... Under Florida law, it is not a punishable offence for a witness not to help a person in need, and the youths were likely not to face charges.
But Cocoa police chief Mike Cantaloupe said police discussed the case with the state attorney and decided to file a misdemeanour charging document under a statute which requires a witness to report a person’s death to authorities, as reported by WKMG-TV.
He also plans to meet with lawmakers to discuss drafting new legislation which would require witnesses to help people in distress.
The state attorney’s office has yet to decide if it will bring charges, and the teenagers are not in custody ..."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/teenagers-laughed-filmed-disabled-man-080300381.html


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