Bryan Jackson, the Flagler County sheriff’s deputy who took responsibility for firing a rifle bullet that accidentally grazed the neck of an 11-year-old neighbor boy last year, resigned Monday, effective July 15, just as the Sheriff’s Office was completing an internal affairs investigation that found him to have violated two policies. He could have faced sanctions.
Jackson had fired an agency-issued weapon at his own personal firing range, in violation of a policy that requires all agency weapons to be fired in training only at an approved range. And he fired bullets that belonged to him, again in violation of a policy that requires all agency-issued weapons to be loaded with agency-issued ammunition.
Jackson, who started working for the Sheriff’s Office in August 2013, told investigators that he was practicing firing his daughter’s AR-15 in his backyard shooting range in Daytona North the evening of Aug. 27, 2025, when the inadvertent shooting happened. Jackson was unaware of it, the neighboring house being several lots further north than his, on Hazelnut Street, and through the woods. The 11-year-old boy was in his room when the bullet pierced through a wall and other items on a dresser and grazed him, burning him but not injuring him further, at least not physically.
Jackson’s daughter, Kailen, had just been issued the AR-15 as a new recruit at the Sheriff’s Office. She was a trainee. Jackson told investigators he wanted to try the weapon. He told them he fired 15 to 20 shots in a three-minute period. He has long maintained a couple of firing ranges in his backyard, though the investigation revealed that one of the ranges trespassed on a neighbor’s property to the north, without the neighbor’s permission.
Investigators questioned whether it was, in fact, Bryan Jackson rather than his daughter who fired the shot, and tried to document the shooting minutes themselves through surveillance video footage. Jackson had some footage from cameras outside the house, but somehow, the window of time when the firing took place was not recorded, no longer available to access, so investigators could not see it.
The Sheriff’s Office conducted a lengthy investigation to reconstruct the events of that evening, enlisting the help of the FBI and confirming that the bullet fired from the AR-15 was the bullet that struck the boy. The bullet was recovered. The likelihood that a bullet would travel a lengthy distance through the woods and still penetrate a house and cause damage was extremely remote. But it was not zero. In this case, the not-zero happened.
The Sheriff’s Office filed a first-degree misdemeanor charge against of culpable negligence against Jackson. The State Attorney’s Office elected not to pursue the charge, finding that the incident did not rise to the level of a crime.
The criminal investigation completed, the Sheriff’s Office conducted its own internal affairs investigation, completed and released today upon request by FlaglerLive.
“The shooting range Jackson admits to utilizing in discharging an Agency owned rifle was not approved nor authorized by the Flagler County Sheriff s Office.,” the internal affairs investigation concluded. “Additionally, Jackson admitted to using his personal ammunition rather than agency issued ammunition when shooting the Agency issued firearm on the unauthorized range.” The IA added: “The charge of unbecoming conduct is unnecessary as is reflective and is inclusive of the sustained general order violations.”
Had the State Attorney filed a charge, Jackson would have faced an additional policy violation pertaining to lawbreaking. That violation was “not sustained” since the State Attorney declined to file the charge.
Kailen Jackson resigned on May 19. She was not interviewed for the internal affairs investigation–there were attempts to interview her–but had been interviewed for the criminal investigation. Her resignation letter suggests her decision had to do with the ripples from the incident and how she was perceived within the agency: “Throughout my tenure,” she wrote, “I have experienced ongoing challenges within the organizational and supervisory environment that have made it increasingly difficult to perform my duties with the level of support, fairness, and professional confidence I believe are necessary to succeed effectively in this role. Despite my continued efforts to meet expectations and serve responsibly, I no longer feel that the work environment is conducive to my long-term professional growth and well-being.” (Her final day of employment was to be June 2. Her employment was ended on May 22.)
Jackson signed the Internal Affairs document today. The document contains no sanctions, which are now moot since Jackson resigned before he could be assessed any. But there would have been disciplinary consequences that would have included penalties up to termination.
“After a lengthy and thorough investigation, the State Attorney’s Office reviewed the facts in this case and decided not to file criminal charges against Mr. Jackson,” Chief of Staff Mark Strobridge was quoted as saying in a release. “Mr. Jackson’s decision to resign concludes the administrative process, but our commitment to professionalism, accountability, and public trust remains unchanged.”
“My time with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has been both a pleasure and a valuable learning experience. I am truly grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to grow professionally, the support of my colleagues, and the meaningful work we have accomplished together in serving our community,” he wrote in a June 29 resignation letter. “That said, I regret to inform you that I must resign in order to pursue new opportunities that will better support my family’s needs at this time. This was not an easy decision, and I want to express my sincere appreciation for everything I have gained while working here.”
See:
-
New Investigative Details Reveal How a Deputy’s Shooting Practice Nearly Killed An 11-Year-Old Boy
- Rifle Bullet From Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputies’ Target-Shooting in Mondex Strikes 11-Year-Old Boy
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