DELAND, Fla. – Krystal Brown, the ex-wife of the man run over and killed by former officer James Harris' police cruiser, says organizers of an AR-15 raffle to help Harris have supported a lie.
"Everyone is entitled to their own personal decision, but that just lets you know the type of mentality that person may have if they're willing to support a lie," said Brown.
James Jusick, an organizer of the raffle for fired DeLand police officer James Harris, told Local 6 several of his former co-workers at the department joined him in putting together the controversial fundraiser. Jusick recently retired from the DeLand Police Department.
Krystal Brown says the signs advertising the raffle which stated Marlon Brown "came towards Harris' vehicle, which resulted in the accidental collision," contradict the video which shows Harris' cruiser moving toward Marlon Brown, who's running away.
"We now know, after seeing the video, that that's not accurate," Brown said.
The raffle ended last night, but when a group claiming to be organizers appeared at the Whitehair Bridge riverside park, they sped off in a boat after seeing Local 6's cameras.
Jusick said he wasn't sure who was in the boat. He also said he didn't know who made the flyers, but agreed the wording was incorrect. Either way, he said even though Harris ignored the department's chase policy, he deserves financial and moral support.
Jusick said he believes Harris should have been suspended during the investigation, but instead was wrongly fired immediately after the police chief saw the dash cam video of the incident.
That's why Jusick donated the rife for the raffle. He now works full-time at Tactical Machining, the gun-making company in DeLand that he owns.
According to Jusick, the money collected will go toward Harris' legal fees he incurred before Krystal Brown agreed not to sue Harris in a settlement with the city.
Jusick would not tell Local 6 how much money the raffle raised, but said the group met their goal. They are no longer soliciting donations.