ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orange County Sheriff's Citizens Advisory Committee discussed the issue of whether all officers should be equipped with body cameras after community members said they were lacking during the deputy-involved shooting of 22-year-old Salaythis Melvin.

Activist Jarvis Grace, who said he is trying to do his part to support the Melvin family through his clothing store, tuned in to Thursday’s Orange County Sheriff’s Citizens Advisory Committee meeting online, hoping to get answers about the lack of some body camera footage in the shooting of Melvin.

“The questions are unanswered at this point," Grace said. "There’s no transparency.”

He and others viewing the virtual meeting questioned why not all of Orange County’s deputies wear body cameras.

According to the sheriff’s office, the deputy suspected of shooting Melvin was in plain clothes and not wearing a body camera at the time.

“I can tell you that I don’t believe that every officer at that scene had a body-worn camera, and to my knowledge, there were officers who were plainclothes officers,” Sheriff's Office Capt. Carlos Espinosa, commander of the professional standards section, said.

Committee members then asked the Sheriff’s Office staff why that is. Staff told the committee that of approximately 1,600 sworn personnel in the Sheriff’s Office, only 1,100 have body cameras.

“The sheriff certainly directs us on who gets the cameras, " Sheriff's Office Capt. Todd Gardiner said. "There is a financial consequence to that. The cameras are expensive.” 

Staff told the committee they made sure all of the uniformed officers had body cameras but that leaves out many of the plainsclothes officers like the one suspected of shooting Melvin.

“Everyone should have a body camera," Grace said. "Everyone needs to be held accountable.”

Attorneys for the Melvin family provided new footage from inside Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Florida Mall that showed the moments leading up to the August 7 shooting, including Melvin running in front of the store. But attorney Brad Laurent said the public should see video from the Florida Mall’s surveillance cameras to get the full picture.

The committee said it would review the Sheriff’s Office body camera policies and whether to recommend all deputies, plainclothes or not, wear body cameras —  at the advisory committee's next meeting, which is scheduled for October.

Grace, who is selling shirts at his store that he said will benefit the Melvin family, said demonstrations must continue until family members get all the facts involving Melvin’s death.

“We got to keep the pressure on!” Grace said.