Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Press Release Re: William Anthony McNeil, Jr. Arrest Video
On Monday, July 21, 2025, Sheriff T.K. Waters held a news conference announcing the release of information regarding the circumstances of William Anthony McNeil, Jr.’s arrest on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
On Sunday, July 20, 2025, JSO was made aware that cell phone camera footage represented to be from this arrest was circulating on social media. The agency immediately began both a criminal and administrative review of the officers’ actions. These administrative reviews are ongoing, but the State Attorney’s Office has determined that none of the involved officers violated criminal law.
Even though the administrative review has yet to be completed, JSO released the body worn camera footage because Officer Bowers consented to its release and waived his Officers’ Bill of Rights pertaining to that discreet piece of evidence. Due to the ongoing internal review, no further information will be released at this time, as it is confidential under Florida law.
Sheriff T.K. Waters, who has vowed to be open and transparent with the public, had this to say at Monday evening’s news conference, “In this case, the cell phone camera footage that began viral circulation over the weekend does not comprehensively capture the circumstances surrounding the incident. And that is to be expected. Part of that stems from the distance and perspective of the recording cell phone camera. Another part of it stems from the fact that the cell phone camera did not capture the events that preceded Officer Bowers’s decision to arrest McNeil. Moreover, cameras can only capture what can be seen and heard. So much context and depth are absent from recorded footage because a camera simply cannot capture what is known to the people depicted in it.”