On December 26, 2021, Officer Joshua Payne pursued James Lowery, mistakenly identifying him as a suspect in a domestic violence case. During the chase, Payne attempted to use his Taser multiple times without success. While holding both his Taser and firearm simultaneously—a violation of department policy—Payne’s firearm discharged, fatally striking Lowery in the head. An internal investigation concluded that the use of deadly force was unjustified. Payne resigned on June 1, 2022, and was charged with manslaughter. ([yestitusvillefl.com](https://yestitusvillefl.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=343&utm_source=openai))
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