The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office filed a culpable negligence charge against 13-year Sheriff’s deputy Bryan Jackson over an Aug. 27, 2025 incident when a bullet Jackson fired from his daughter’s AR-15 grazed the neck of an 11-year-old boy in a neighboring house.
The charge is a first-degree misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a year in jail, though if convicted, Jackson is more likely to serve it on probation. A Community Engagement Division deputy, Jackson has been reassigned to paid administrative duties. (Deputies facing felony charges are suspended without pay pending the resolution of their case.)
The charge was forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office, which would formalize it as an information if it decides to prosecute. It would be surprising if it did not: the State Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office have worked closely on the case, which also drew the help of the FBI last October. Federal agents scoured the area of the shooting and reconstructed it before taking data back to Virginia for analysis.
Jackson and his daughter, Kailen Jackson, who was in training as a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy at the time, were in Bryan Jackson’s backyard at the corner of Mahogany Boulevard and Elder Street in Daytona North, practice-shooting at the makeshift firing range–an earthen berm–Jackson built at the northeast corner of the lot. Vacant lots of scrub and woods separate the Jackson lot from that of the victim’s, six lots north-northeast on Hazelnut Street.
The boy had been playing a video game in his room when his then-7-year-old sister heard what sounded like a gunshot, and the boy ran out of his room to tell his mother that he’d been shot. The girl had claimed to have seen a man at a nearby property with a long gun propped up on a stand. The boy recovered.
The Sheriff’s Office had issued the AR-15 to Kailen Jackson, who had yet to pass a shooting test at the time. Her father told sheriff’s detectives that he fired the weapon though by the time detectives were at the scene, Jackson had sent his daughter and the weapon to Orlando.
Sheriff Rick Staly, who could not be reached before this article initially published, has said repeatedly since the incident that he wanted the investigation to leave no stone unturned, and to lead where it would.
“This was a very thorough and comprehensive investigation that took time and included a recreation of the incident and a forensic firearm analysis by FBI experts in Quantico, Va.,” Chief of Staff Mark Strobridge was quoted as saying in a release the agency issued in midafternoon today. “As with any case, Master Deputy Jackson is entitled to due process, and the facts in this case and any formal charges against him will be decided by the State Attorney’s Office.” Strobridge could not be reached.
The release referred to the projectile as a “stray bullet.”
“At the conclusion of the criminal case, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will conduct an internal investigation to determine whether Master Deputy Jackson violated any FCSO policies,” Strobridge said in the release. Depending on the findings, Jackson could face anywhere from no penalty to a firing. His daughter Kailen may at that point also be implicated, at least regarding the agency’s ruling on whether a policy was violated in her handing over her agency-issued weapon to another deputy for firing–on a firing range that was not approved as a training range by the agency. Those practices are part of internal policies, but it is not yet clear whether the policies were violated.
The agency suspends all internal inquiries when a criminal case is ongoing, picking up the internal inquiry once the criminal case closes.
Bryan Jackson, better known internally as Scotty, caused the agency some heartache in November 2022 when detectives initially had difficulties investigating the hit-and-run crash Jackson’s son, Jayden Jackson, was involved in. Jayden was sentenced to five years in prison last June, following a hearing that included a tense, almost bitter confrontation between Bryan Jackson and Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis, who was questioning Jackson’s veracity. Jackson had claimed to have been in Miami for the funeral of an FBI agent at the time his son was involved in the crash. A check of the records found no funeral involving an FBI agent in Miami–or anywhere in Florida–in 2022.
EnoughAlready says
It’s beyond time for the FCSO to sever ties with this Deputy. He’s had way too many issues and breaks.
Would be my outcome too. says
Im sure that if I shot the neighbor’s kid, I’d get only a misdemeanor as well.
Taxpayer says
Wow,a misdemeanor???? Anyone else this would be a felony!!! He clearly violated the sheriff’s department rules concerning firing weapons in unauthorized places… Then he’s still has a job … A waste of taxpayers money.. Staley needs to go, he and the state attorney, always has an escape for the Staley clan…. This man lied on the stand for his son who killed a pedestrian, and by the way he only got 5 years, then he tried to cover for his daughter…. Wow!!! But these are the people that Staley hired to protect and serve…. How can you trust people like this to protect our community… He should be charged with a felony and fired…. Guess if he would have killed that kid, it would have been different??? But probably not, they would have had an excuse!!!! This is crazy….
Joey says
Just to be clear his daughter shot a kid in the neck because she’s incompetent, the dad covered up blatantly and sent the daughter and the gun away but because he’s one of Rick stalys loyal boys he gets off with a misdemeanor while being on paid leave during the investigation?
Tired of it says
So, the son is in jail or a hit and run, the daughter is training to be a deputy and has an AR-15 issued to her even though she hasn’t pass her shooting test, tjhe deputy himself lied during his son’s trial. And he isn’t suspended without pay, he just got moved to office duty. “..by the time detectives were at the scene, Jackson had sent his daughter and the weapon to Orlando. ” None of this passes the smell test. I thought Staly was better than this.
Vincent Maccherone says
Welp that’s some bull!
Lamo says
Wow. The mans job is public relations. Not in a law enforcement capacity every day. Keeps same job, tell the public something to get the heat off. Flagler live, has to know this, but failed to mention. Wounder why???
JimboXYZ says
I’m just glad this entire family aren’t my neighbors, anyone else feel that way ? Were the rounds used “less lethal” rubber bullets ? Just me, they’re all idiots, the son, the father is a liar & I can’t imagine the daughter being any brighter than the other two ? Flagler County’s mean IQ drops at that property to village idiot level stupidity ? Fire both of them, we can do better for the next hires ? Same with the one suing the City of Ormond Beach. Free up that budget for better personnel ? These aren’t screw ups in the line of duty.
Greg says
I thought I read in this psper, that rifles were not allowed to be fired at this gun range?
FlaglerLive says
We never reported that rifles could not be fired at that location.
Pig Farmer says
So shooting someone is a misdemeanor, but a ‘Dark Humor’ SnapChat Threat is a felony?
WouldntYouLikeToKnow says
FCSO and ALL law enforcement organizations and their underlings(officers) are the enemy of the people. They prove to be traitors time and time again, at every given chance. Only the rich pedophile elite are protected by these class traitors.
Anonimus says
What a stand up family we have here. And once again will be all swept under the rug. Dangerous family has already killed 1 and covered it up now wounding a child with little to no penalty, way to stand behind your officers Staly.
Gerald Jacobs says
He kñew it was against FCSO rules to shoot his daugjters gun. And she was told that also
7
Jay Tomm says
Honestly, I’m all pro gun & freedom, but backyard ranges these days are insane. Unless you live in the mountains or desert with no neighbors for miles & miles….
The gun club is down the road from this guy. FCSO has use of it. Why couldn’t he have gone there to “teach” his daughter?
Still say the daughter is the one who pulled the trigger & he’s covering it up. In any case, this charge will result in a nothing burger & he will be fired eventually. Maybe the family can get something in a lawsuit.
Bad decision says
This clown actually lives less than 5 miles from the approved shooting range.
A 6 minute drive according to Google.
They choose not to practice with guns correctly
Is this really the kind of decision makers we have hidden in Slick Ricks overinflated budget and better yet in community relations ?
Canary says
Familiarity is starting to breed contempt for Sheriff Staly’s management skills. How many of his deputies have we seen arrested in the last year or so…and how many of those stories have ended with blatantly favorable treatment? And how many of those cases have also include the revealing of previous bad behavior by the same deputy that had been swept under the rug? Answer to all three questions: Too many. Do better. Less time grandstanding and politicking. More time reining in your deputies shenanigans.
Taxpayer says
Staley and the state attorney needs to go!!! And the only way to get them out is to get to the polls… Jackson shouldn’t even be a road cop!!! He was a jailer until former cop Steve Brant , decided to pull some strings for him… Reason for that was back then PAL had a youth football ball team, that Steve wanted out of, so he brought this clown in to take over and he single handed ruined the whole program in 1 year…. He lied back then and he is still lying… He is not trustworthy, but Staley isn’t either…
Rick Pisel says
AND ARE ALL EQUAL…. MY ASS.
ANYONE Else WOULD BE IN PRISON.
SO SAD…. 🥴
Concerned Citizen says
So this guy continues to surface with issues. And still has a job?
I seem to remember a probationary employee just getting arrested. Then fired. With no due process. Probationary or Tenured SHOULD NOT have an impact when a LEO is arrested. You should terminate right away. Because as a LEO you are a sworn individual with greater responsibility. So how is Jackson and any of the others different?