Man Indicted in Scurlock Death Dies by Suicide in Oregon
A white bar owner who faced a charge of manslaughter for fatally shooting a Black man amid protests in the Old Market has died by suicide days after his indictment, as officials were awaiting his return to Omaha to face trial.
Jacob Gardner was found dead Sunday outside a medical clinic in Hillsboro, Oregon, the Hillsboro Police Department said in a news release. His attorney, Stu Dornan, said in a news conference Sunday evening that Gardner’s death was a suicide.
Gardner, 38, shot 22-year-old James Scurlock just after 11 p.m. May 30 during an altercation outside Gardner’s now-defunct bar near 12th and Harney streets. The incident took place during a protest of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
“Unfortunately, there are two men who have died in a terrible tragedy,” Dornan said. “It’s a terrible tragedy for the Omaha community, it’s a terrible tragedy for James Scurlock and his family. It’s a terrible tragedy for the Gardner family.”
Last Tuesday, a grand jury indicted Gardner on suspicion of manslaughter, attempted first-degree assault, terroristic threats and use of a weapon to commit a felony. The special prosecutor in the case, Frederick D. Franklin, said the charges resulted from new evidence, which he attributed as coming from Gardner himself.
Franklin was scheduled to give remarks Tuesday but postponed the news conference, according to a statement released by the Douglas County District Court.
Gardner had said the shooting was done in self-defense. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine initially decided not to charge Gardner, saying he acted in self-defense. After intense criticism, a grand jury was called to examine the case, resulting in charges being filed against Gardner.
“That night down in the Old Market was a crossroads of where anger and fear met,” Dornan said. “This violence must stop. The justice system must be allowed to do its work. Cases should be decided in the courtroom and not on social media in the context of public opinion.”
Dornan said Gardner, who had gone to California after the shooting, was “really shook up” after the grand jury’s indictment.
“The grand jury indictment was a shock to him, and it was a shock to us,” Dornan said.
Attorney Tom Monaghan, who also spoke during Sunday’s news conference, said “the community of Omaha had convicted Mr. Gardner on social media.”
Monaghan added, “What happened in Minnesota should not have caused a riot in Omaha. A peaceful demonstration at 72nd and Dodge streets did not need to lead to violence and damage to property, but it did.”
Monaghan and Dornan both said they were prepared to show that their client was not guilty.
Franklin has said the grand jury reviewed additional evidence that Kleine didn’t have, which included texts from Gardner’s phone, messages on his Facebook profile and his interactions with bystanders before coming into contact with Scurlock.
Gardner was scheduled to return to Omaha on Sunday to face the charges against him, Dornan said. Dornan noted that September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, describing what happened as “a day that didn’t have to happen and a day that another vet took his own life at his own hand.”
Anyone who is in crisis is urged to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
This report contains material from The Associated Press.
User login
Omaha Daily Record
The Daily Record
222 South 72nd Street, Suite 302
Omaha, Nebraska
68114
United States
Tele (402) 345-1303
Fax (402) 345-2351