In a distressing turn of events, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has announced an internal investigation following the death of a 38-year-old man, who became unresponsive in their custody and later died in a hospital; the man has been identified as Charles Samuel Urbach.
Details from News4JAX indicate that the situation began when JSO officers responded to reports of a 'suspicious person,' which led to the discovery of Urbach allegedly trying to break into homes in the Southside Estates neighborhood on Cortez Road, the incident unfolded around 12:50 p.m., witnesses report Urbach was seen "prowling" through backyards and allegedly attempted to enter an occupied residence, it was then that Urbach was found hiding in a pond and subsequently detained.
Contrary to expectations, the arrest escalated when, as First Coast News reported, Urbach reportedly became "combative" striking a K-9 officer in the chest with his elbow during the search; officers claim to have controlled the situation with "minimal force" and secured Urbach in the patrol vehicle with no further disruptions.
However, the scenario took a grave turn when, according to a statement from JSO, Urbach became unresponsive while seated in the patrol car; officers tried to revive him using sternum rubs and administered two doses of NARCAN before emergency medical services from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department arrived and declared him dead at 2:42 p.m., as soon as JFRD arrived.
The cause of Urbach's death has not yet been determined and is pending investigation, JSO awaits insights from the medical examiner's office, Action News Jax outlined; Furthermore, News4JAX has filed a request for body cam footage, emails, texts, radio communications, and 911 calls related to this incident in the pursuit of transparency and clarity on the unfolding of events that led to Urbach's untimely death.
