NAACP branch president files internal affairs complaints against detectives investigating Fort Lauderdale office shooting
FORT LAUDERDALE — A Broward County leader has filed internal affairs complaints against two detectives because of their response to a shooting at the NAACP Fort Lauderdale-Broward Branch Office two weeks ago.
Branch President Marsha Ellison said detectives "slow-walked" the investigation, showed up late and overlooked evidence.
"That told me that these are supposedly trained people that they have no real interest in solving this crime," Ellison said of the detectives who responded to the shooting.
It happened while the office was closed with no one inside. It took 12 hours for detectives to begin collecting evidence, Ellison said.
Confusion over ShotSpotter alerts delayed the initial response, police said. Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz said he would look into and address the way investigators handled the matter if he discovers wrongdoing.
He also planned to look into complaints of a disparity in police response.
"I assure you, I am not aware of any current cases of that being the case," Schultz said during a press conference two weeks ago. "But I also assure you this: President [Marsha] Ellison knows me. The elected officials around you know me as well. I would never stand for that."
His department is using all available resources, including help from the FBI and county investigators to find the shooter.
Investigators released photos of the suspect two weeks ago. However, they have no one in custody.
"That's unacceptable because [police] have a substation right up the street and I'm not saying that everybody know[s], but maybe somebody knows [the shooter's identity]," said Nicolette Jackson, a resident who has spent all 56 years of her life living near historic Sistrunk Boulevard.
The road is named after pioneering black physician Dr. James Sistrunk. The neighborhood around it was established in the early 20th century by Black settlers.
The NAACP office on Sistrunk Boulevard is the heart of the community, Ellison said. So, the unsolved shooting hit nerves.
"I can tell you that anything that happens on the other side [east of Federal Highway], they get the full weight of Fort Lauderdale," Ellison said. "This side [west of Federal Highway], unless you demand it, unless you know somebody, you don't always get that."
Jackson agreed.
"Definitely," she said. "I was in an accident and I was down Sistrunk. It took 30- to 40 minutes for the police [to arrive] and they were right there. Then, it wasn't even the police [who responded]. It was the community service aide."
Fort Lauderdale Police are aware of the criticism. Business owners said officers met with community members on Monday. They listened for ways police can better serve.
"The concern I have right now is there is a feeling that there was not an equal treatment and response," Schultz said two weeks ago. "As a leader of the agency, the buck stops with me. So, I will make sure that I will look into this fully and extensively [and] that all resources were activated when they should have been."
While police remain confident that officers will find and arrest the suspect, they need help identifying the man.
Broward CrimeStoppers is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest.
