Federal Action for Justice: The Case of Tri-Marea Charles

Demand Full Federal Investigation, Accountability, and Legislative Reform Following the Police-Involved Killing of Tri-Marea Charles in Titusville, Florida

We demand that the U.S. Department of Justice, Congress, and the FBI take immediate action to restore trust, deliver accountability, and reform the broken systems that allowed for the police-involved shooting of Tri-Marea Charles on February 7, 2025, in Titusville, Florida under Chief John Lau of the Titusville Police Department's supervision. The public deserves full transparency and the family of Tri-Marea Charles deserves answers. Please sign in support of the list of demands below.

On the night of February 7, 2025, Tri-Marea Charles, a 25-year-old Black man, was fatally shot in the back by Officer Xzevies Baez and Corporal Blougouras of the Titusville Police Department. Since that day, members of the community as well as a journalist have been threatened, harassed and silenced through various control tactics initiated by members of Titusville law enforcement for speaking on Tri-Marea Charles as well as the injustices they've faced while residing in the Titusville community.

In the five seconds it took to end Tri-Marea’s life, the trajectory of his family and community was shattered with deliberate efforts to withhold truth, manipulate evidence and suppress grief adding to the trauma of losing a loved one.

Chief Lau says Tri-Marea was armed at the time of the incident, tripping revealing a firearm as it fell from his waistband but Tri-Marea never raised, aimed, or fired his weapon at officers. Despite this, Chief Lau claimed publicly that Tri-Marea “tussled with officers”—a claim not supported by the footage or the facts known as Officer Baez ran after Tri-Marea firing his weapon as Tri-Marea's back was turned. Chief Lau was not present at the scene. No officer was injured, and Tri-Marea Charles was shot in the back 10 times with 16 shots fired in a neighborhood with children raising urgent questions about the justification used for deadly force.

Officer Xzevies Baez responsible for the murder of Tri-Marea Charles, has an extensive history of misconduct, use of excessive force, police brutality with a deadly weapon, and fabrication of evidence since starting and transferring from the Cocoa Police Department. Titusville Police Department refuses to release public records regarding Officer Baez’s history within the Titusville Police Department.

On June 10th, 2025, the 18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, where Chief Lau’s wife is employed, ruled the killing lawful and justified—on the same day the previous petition demanding the immediate release of all raw unedited body camera footage related to the police-involved shooting of Tri-Marea Charles on February 7th, 2025, originally reached 1,000 signatures in the fight for transparency. Three days later, the Titusville Police Department released a narrated, edited version of the bodycam footage to the public addressing a group of vocal citizens accusing them of verbally attacking the Police Department.

The edited 18-minute recording of the 5-second fatal shooting was released to the public Friday, June 13th despite City Council members request for Titusville Chief of Police John Lau to show his mother, Samantha Charles, the body cam video from that night on May 13th requiring Charles's mother to sign a confidentiality, NDA to view the footage.

John Lau ignored a direct request from the government adding to the trauma of a grieving mother and community resulting in Samantha Charles being removed from a regular City Council meeting on May 27th, 2025 for speaking about her son. The City of Titusville and the Titusville Police Department have offered limited as well as conflicting information surrounding this tragedy.

Chief John Lau’s tenure has been marked by civil rights lawsuits, fatal use-of-force incidents, drug-related officer misconduct, and persistent community demands for transparency and accountability receiving a taxpayer funded pension in addition to a contracted salary receiving a pay increase on February 12th, 2025 after the murder of Tri-Marea Charles by now retired city manager Scott Larese. Please find the examples below.

• 03/04/2013: Gotshall et al. v. City of Titusville, Case No. 6:13-cv-00369-GAP-DAB,

• 10/18/2013: Adkins et al. v. City of Titusville, Case No. 6:13-cv-01619-CEH-GJK,

• 09/16/2019: Price v. City of Titusville (ADA case), Case No. 6:19-cv-00693-RBD-GJK,

• 09/29/2021: Hair v. City of Titusville et al., Case No. 6:21-cv-01606-GAP-DCI.

• 12/26/2021: James Lowery v. Titusville Police Department & Joshua Payne
  

This sequence of events raises urgent concerns about transparency, public trust, legal conflict of interest, and constitutional violations. The State Attorney’s ruling and the Titusville Police Department’s actions cannot be the final word on Tri-Marea’s death.

We are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, the FBI, and the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to open a formal investigation into:

• The use of deadly force by Titusville Police on February 7, 2025

• Potential civil rights violations under 42 U.S. Code § 1983

• The suppression of evidence, including exorbitant fee practices for public records, delayed, and edited release of body-worn camera footage
  

• Conflicts of interest between the State Attorney’s Office and the Titusville Police Department
  

• Historical patterns of excessive force and misconduct involving Officer Baez and the Titusville Police Department

Demands

• An independent investigation into the Titusville Police Department as well as the conduct of Chief John Lau leading to the firing of Lau and rehiring of a new Chief of Titusville Police with candidates considered outside of Brevard County

• A ban on re-hiring retired police chiefs into active leadership roles via private contracts

• Legislation that mandates the release of raw unedited body camera footage within 30 days of any officer-involved shooting

• Immediate release of all body camera footage related to the police-involved shooting of Tri-Marea Charles on February 7, 2025, in Titusville, Florida

• Legislation reducing immunity for police officers accused of misconduct increasing federal oversight and accountability

• Ban on the use of deadly force as a first resort with mandated de-escalation before use

• Termination and prosecution of Officer Xzevies Baez, with full access to his disciplinary records

• A review of public records fee practices to ensure they are not being used to block transparency

• Community Crime Report of officer involved shootings, police misconduct, and unsolved murders

• De-escalation training , cultural bias training, and regular mental health evaluations for all Brevard County Police officers beyond pre-hire as well as Academy entry-level

• Removal of Titusville City Mayor Andrew Connors

• Creation of a Community Garden to honor Tri-Marea Charles, the lives lost to police brutality by Titusville Police Department, and the families of the unsolved murders in Brevard County forming a sacred space for healing as well as a hub for personal development and growth

Florida’s Sunshine Law exists to uphold truth—but it has been violated. A grieving mother gagged, a community silenced, and the public was shown a state-controlled narrative only after a legal conclusion had been made public. This is not transparency—it is orchestrated injustice.

No family should have to beg for footage of their child’s death. No community should be kept in the dark. No law enforcement officer or prosecutor should be shielded from accountability because of connections or contracts.

We stand in solidarity with the family of Tri-Marea Charles. His life mattered. His story matters. And the truth must be told.