Martin Lee Anderson, 14, died Jan. 6 at a Pensacola
hospital, a day after he entered the camp because of an
arrest for theft.
Anderson complained of breathing difficulties and
collapsed during exercises that were part of the entry
process at the camp, which was run by the Bay County
Sheriff's Office.
Authorities have said he had to be restrained when he
became uncooperative during the workout.
State Rep. Gus Barreiro, a Republican, called the
videotape "horrific," saying he had "never seen any kid
being brutalized ... the way I saw this young man being
brutalized."
"Even towards the end of the videotape, where you could
just see there was pretty much nothing left of Martin, they
came out with a couple cups of water and splashed him in the
face," he said. "When you see stuff like that, you want to
go through the TV and say, 'Enough is enough. Please stop
hitting this kid.'"
Bay County authorities and the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement have refused to make the tape public, but
Barreiro and state Rep. Dan Gelber, a Democrat who also
viewed the videotape, said it would be released soon.
I don't think there's any question there was excessive
force," Gelber said. "This is a relatively small kid with a
half a dozen of pretty strong men, and he seemed to be
phasing in and out of consciousness."
Sheriff Frank McKeithen issued a statement accusing
Barreiro and Gelber of overreacting with "irresponsible,
premature and incorrect statements" that "add fuel to an
already volatile situation."
The contents of the tape were first reported by The
Miami Herald.
Gov. Jeb Bush, who was in Orlando, said that although he
had not seen the tape, several of his aides had and he was
aware of the contents. "Absolutely we're concerned," he
said.
Anderson's family said it plans to sue Bay County and the
state Department of Juvenile Justice, which oversees boot
camp programs. The department gave the camp a good review in
June 2004.
FULL STORY:
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting
an inquiry into the death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson
at the request of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the
Department of Juvenile Justice. FDLE is responsible for
determining the facts and circumstances surrounding the
death. The Bay County Sheriff’s Department and the
Department of Juvenile Justice are cooperating fully. The
autopsy conducted by the Bay County Medical Examiner has
ruled out trauma or injury as the cause of death. The
Medical Examiner’s Office is awaiting toxicology results.
The Honorable Steve Meadows, Office of the State Attorney,
will review the facts and circumstances surrounding
Anderson’s death once the FDLE inquiry is complete.
Anderson was committed to a Department of Juvenile
Justice facility on Jan. 4 by court order. The Department of
Juvenile Justice facility remanded Anderson to the Bay
County Sheriff’s Office Boot Camp facility early Thursday
morning. He was at the facility for approximately two hours
before being transported by emergency medical services. He
was taken from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Boot Camp
facility on Thursday, Jan. 5, to Bay County Medical Center.
Anderson was later transported by air ambulance to Sacred
Heart Hospital in Pensacola. On Jan. 6, Anderson passed
away.
As we do in all of our investigations, FDLE will conduct
this investigation fairly and thoroughly. We offer our
condolences to this young man’s family for their tragic
loss.
For more
information, contact:
Karen Mason
Public Information Officer
FDLE - Pensacola
(850) 595-2100