OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The family of a 20-year-old man fatally shot by Osceola County sheriff’s deputies outside a Target in 2022 has reached a $1 million settlement in a federal civil rights lawsuit, with the family’s attorney saying he hopes the agreement will promote accountability within the sheriff’s office.
Attorney Mark NeJame represented the family of Jayden Baez and three other teens after the April 27, 2022, shooting outside the Target store along U.S. Highway 192. The lawsuit originally named former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez and the two deputies who fired their weapons.
“We looked at it and said, this just screams of excessive force and there needs to be justice,” NeJame said.
According to investigators, deputies were alerted after two teenagers were seen inside the Target stealing Pokémon cards and a pizza. At the time, dozens of plainclothes deputies were conducting a training exercise in the parking lot.
Investigators said several unmarked patrol vehicles quickly surrounded the car Baez was driving after it left the store. Deputies said Baez drove forward and struck one of the patrol vehicles, prompting two deputies to open fire in what they said was self-defense.
Baez was killed, and two other teenagers inside the vehicle were injured.
NeJame argued the deputies unnecessarily escalated what he described as a misdemeanor theft investigation.
“All they had to do is say, ‘OK, we caught you stealing,’ and then charge them with misdemeanor offenses and petit theft,” he said.
Officials said the $1 million settlement will not be paid with taxpayer money. Instead, it will be covered by the Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund, which provides liability coverage for participating sheriff’s offices.
NeJame acknowledged the settlement may not fully compensate the families but said they ultimately decided to resolve the case.
“We would always want more, but I think three of the families were very happy in light of the injuries sustained,” he said. “The fourth one are very appreciative and they decided to settle.”
NeJame also said he believes changes within the sheriff’s office since Sheriff Chris Blackmon took office have improved the agency’s internal culture following Lopez’s removal from office.
He said he hopes the settlement serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability and helps prevent similar incidents in the future.
“I think the Baez family and the rest of the families of these young men have comfort in knowing they may have saved the lives of other people they will never know,” NeJame said.