20,000 signatures reached
To: Florida State Attorney, Brian S. Kramer
Demand FL State Attorney Kramer Arrest & Charge Gardner Kent Fraser for the killing of DJ Broadus
Despite new and abundant evidence, the Office of the State Attorney has not charged Gardner Kent “Gar” Fraser for the execution-style killing of Dominic Jerome “DJ” Broadus II in Macclenny, Florida, on Feb. 3, 2018.
URGENT: The family of DJ Broadus has obtained additional evidence that his death was a criminal homicide — not a lawful killing in self-defense as alleged by the killer —- and they need your support. Standing with the Broadus family, a coalition of activists, faith leaders, academics, labor organizers and people impacted by violence are launching a renewed effort to demand that the state arrest DJ’s killer and charge him with homicide.
On Feb. 3, 2018, Baker County Sheriff’s Office deputies found DJ lying at the rear of a home with four gunshot wounds to the head. He was found dead on the property of Ryan T. Fraser, the father of Gar Fraser and who recently had retired as a deputy with the Baker County Sheriff’s Office. BCSO deputies briefly questioned Gar Fraser, but did not arrest him because he claimed that he killed DJ in self-defense. He further claimed that he was not sure he knew DJ and that the killing was “a practical joke gone bad.” Due to the Fraser family’s close connections to the BCSO, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement took over the case. The investigation revealed that Gar and DJ had maintained an intimate relationship for at least seven months prior to DJ’s killing. Further, evidence shows that Gar had invited DJ over to his home for an intimate encounter before killing him.
Based on evidence that Gar moved DJ’s body and hid his cellphone, the state attorney charged Gar with tampering with evidence, for which he served less than one year in a local jail.
DJ’s grieving family needs your support to demand that the Office of State Attorney for the 8th Judicial Circuit:
1. Instruct the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to make an immediate arrest and charge Gardner Kent “Gar” Fraser in the homicide of Dominic Jerome “DJ” Broadus II.
2. Demand State Attorney Brian Kramer, 8th Judicial Circuit Florida, file homicide charges against Gar Fraser.
3. Petition the FBI’s Public Corruption division to conduct an immediate investigation into the Baker County Sheriff’s Office as it relates to their uneven procurement of evidence and nepotism within this law enforcement agency.
Why is this important?
Once again, our communities in Macclenny and Jacksonville, Florida, and across the world are reeling from another senseless loss of Black life. Dominic Jerome “DJ” Broadus II, a father, son, brother, musician and family storyteller, has been killed by his closeted lover, who was afraid of being “outed” to his community. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement continues to disrespect the Broadus family with its lopsided investigation, silence and heavily redacted statements, further demonstrating a lack of consideration for the loss of DJ’s life and a resistance to thoroughly investigating the case.
In numerous cases, from Trayvon Martin to Keegan Von Roberts, racist killers are allowed to walk free and families are expected to move on without any closure. The persistent denial of justice causes communities to live under a cloud of racist terror. Most people fear retaliation from local law enforcement each time a new instance of state-sanctioned violence occurs. In spite of this long history of enforced silence, the community is coming together to say, “No more.”
State Attorneys can shift this paradigm and demand accountability from police departments instead of enabling the continued disregard for Black life.
Watch: Next Steps in the Movement for #JusticeforDJ* - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8nuExqculE
*The family of DJ Broadus was preparing to present a wrongful death suit in civil court in Baker County on Feb. 5, 2024. However, on Dec. 28, 2023, Circuit Judge Sean Brewer outrageously and unilaterally dismissed the Broadus’ case, once again shielding DJ’s killer from having to face a jury and, ultimately, from any accountability.
Read More: "Legal Lynching": "Stand Your Ground" Laws Reflect Legacy of White Supremacist Vigilantism in Deep South