ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Windermere and Ocoee police officers who responded to a domestic violence call in 2019 resulting in the death of a 33-year-old man will not face any charges, State Attorney Monique Worrell announced Thursday.
Jean Samuel Celestin died April 11, 2019, after being shocked with a Taser by police, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said. Earlier this year, Celestin’s family sued the cities of Ocoee, Windermere and their police departments claiming that Celestin was suffering from an acute mental health crisis at the time of the April 11, 2019 arrest. Celestin suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to the lawsuit.
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Officials said Ocoee and Windermere police were called to a home on Calliope Street in the Windsor Landings subdivision around 11:15 p.m. about a domestic disturbance. Ocoee police said the incident escalated and officers used force, including Tasers, to take Celestin into custody.
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Police said Celestin’s condition became serious and officers performed lifesaving procedures on him but he died after he was taken to Health Central.
On Thursday, Worrell said after reviewing the case her office found the officers who responded operated within Florida law and will not be charged.
“When a family calls law enforcement for assistance with someone in mental health crisis, they do not expect that call to end in the death of their loved one, and they should not have to worry that it will,” Worrell said in a news release.
Worrell said she reviewed her findings with the family and their attorneys on Aug. 31.
“We understand that this is difficult for the community to process,” Worrell said. “What happened here was wrong, the treatment of Mr. Celestin was unacceptable, and Mr. Celestin’s death was unjust. Unfortunately, based on the assessment of the prior administration, there is no legal basis to move forward with the filing of criminal charges.”