Sixteen loved ones of Byron Jackson – the 45-year-old North Augusta, South Carolina, man who died while in Irmo police custody in June – gathered in a Columbia law office on July 15 with their attorney to call on the Irmo Police Department to release bodycam footage from the June 22, 2025, incident involving Jackson.

A day after the press conference, the police department released a timeline detailing early involvement with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, as well as other details. Then on July 21, the department held a press conference and released some of the body camera footage, as well as identified the officers involved.

According to the initial June 27 press release from the Irmo Police Department that did not include Jackson’s name, he died while in custody following a June 22 incident on Broad River Road.

That release stated that Irmo police officers responded to a possible fight happening in a vehicle in the New Friarsgate area. When officers arrived, they attempted to make contact with the vehicle.

The vehicle fled, according to the department, and a pursuit ensued, ending near the Dollar General on the 7800 Block of Broad River Road.

Jackson was identified as the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle after the June 27 press release from the department, and before being taken into custody the day of the incident, the department said Jackson engaged in an altercation with the responding officers.

After being restrained, Jackson began having trouble breathing. EMS was dispatched to the scene, and life-saving measures began, including CPR, as they transported him to the hospital.

The June 27 press release from the police department also says that on Monday, June 23, the Irmo Police Department contacted the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to conduct an investigation on the incident. The July 16 timeline provided by the police department, however, says SLED got involved about two hours after Irmo PD's initial contact with Jackson on June 22.

The department was notified that Jackson had died on Wednesday, June 25.

The Richland County Coroner's Office has not released the cause of death.

“This is a tragic situation, and our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the individual involved. We take incidents like this with the utmost seriousness and are fully cooperating with SLED’s independent investigation,” Irmo Police Chief Bobby Dale said in the June 27 release. “Our commitment is to transparency, accountability, and ensuring the public's trust in our department remains strong.”

The release stated the two Irmo police officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the SLED investigation.

The Jackson family’s attorney, Bakari Sellers, told the media during the July 15 press conference that the family wants four things:

1. For the Irmo Police Department to release the bodycam footage of Jackson
2. To understand why the department waited until Monday, June 23, to alert SLED of the in-custody medical emergency
3. To understand why the Jackson family was not alerted immediately about the incident
4. For the names of the officers involved to be released

“I can tell you that a great deal of disappointment lies with the Irmo Police Department,” Sellers said. “The lack of transparency, the somewhat of a baffling way in which they handled this case from the jump.”

The Irmo Police Chief said the following in the July 16 release that contained the timeline: “This matter remains under active investigation by SLED. All body-worn camera and dashcam footage is part of that investigation. In accordance with department policy, both officers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome. We understand the grief the Jackson family is experiencing and extend our sincere condolences—especially to his children. We typically do not share investigative details with the media during such sensitive times. However, in response to requests from the media and family’s legal representative, we are releasing this information in hopes it provides clarity and helps the family find answers.”

Sellers told the media the following, which were not included in the initial June 27 release from the Irmo Police Department:

• Jackson was initially listed as a John Doe at the hospital, Sellers said. Jackson’s brother told the media he was a John Doe for around 20 hours.
• There was no high-speed chase, Sellers said, noting that the vehicle Jackson was driving was registered to his sister, who said it was a work van that couldn’t reach high speeds. Sellers called it a low-speed chase.
• Jackson was dry tasered, according to Sellers, which, according to the Healthcare Made Practical Global website, is when a taser is held directly against the body. It is also called drive-stun tasering. 
• There was no fight inside the vehicle, according to Sellers, adding that it started with a 9-1-1 call from an Irmo resident.
  Jackson had no prior breathing-related health issues.
• The incident involved a ravine. “We know that this incident began at the top of a ravine and ended at the bottom of the ravine,” Sellers said. “Not the car, but the officers and Mr. Jackson.”

“Byron Jackson was my youngest,” his mother, Bettie T. Jackson, told the media. “He was a hard worker and a dedicated worker [in the HVAC business]. … I saw him as one that loved life. He loved his children. He was my child. We all loved him dearly, and we talked two and three times a day. … I am missing him already.”

Byron Jackson’s oldest son, Kiestin Jackson, also spoke to reporters.

“Our father never ceased to show his love that he had for us,” he said. “I stand before you as a living testament to the amazing qualities he had as a man, the amazing qualities that he taught me, and I embody those today as a student who is dually enrolled in Duke and UNC Chapel Hill. I’m on full scholarship.”

When a reporter asked Sellers if he plans to pursue any legal filings on behalf of the family, he said maybe.

“I can’t tell you yes or no, because I don’t know what we’re looking at,” Sellers said. “It was a low-speed chase a mile or so away from where the incident occurred or where 9-1-1 was called, let me just say a couple of miles away. I don’t know the [exact] distance. … He was going at a low rate of speed, there was a collision, not a wreck, and he got out of the vehicle, ended up in a ravine.”

Sellers is also a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. According to his profile on the Strom Law Firm website, he was raised in South Carolina, and his most well-known case involved a longtime S.C. town police officer charged for “shooting and killing an unarmed man [Robert Junior Langley] who led her on a high-speed chase and then tried to run from his wrecked car,” according to 2022 reporting from the Associated Press.

“We remember [Byron Jackson] who was a father, somebody who was a son, somebody who was a loved one, somebody who was a brother,” Sellers said at the July 15 press conference. “I come before you today with more questions than answers.”

The Chronicle has requested comment from the Irmo Police Department.

"The Irmo Police Department is releasing a detailed timeline regarding the death of Mr. Byron Jackson in response to requests from the news media and a third-party attorney representing the family," the July 16 release said. "The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is currently investigating the incident. The Irmo Police Department extends its deepest condolences to Mr. Jackson’s family. It is always a tragedy when a suspect passes away following an altercation with law enforcement."

The timeline provided goes as follows: 

June 22, 2025, 2:05 a.m.

"On June 22, 2025, the Irmo Police Department responded to a report of a possible altercation inside of a vehicle. As officers attempted to approach the vehicle in question, the driver of the vehicle fled the scene. Officers pursued the vehicle to the rear of a vacant building (former Dollar General) located at 7812 Broad River Road." 

June 22, 2025, approximately 2:20 a.m.

"The fleeing vehicle, later confirmed to be driven by 45-year-old Byron Jackson, crashed into a pile of debris behind the building. Mr. Jackson exited the vehicle by forcefully kicking open the driver’s side door and fled on foot, ignoring multiple commands from officers.

Upon apprehension, Mr. Jackson resisted arrest and engaged in a physical altercation with officers. Following departmental protocol, a drive-stun Taser was deployed to subdue him and safely place him under arrest. Shortly after being restrained, Mr. Jackson appeared to be having difficulty breathing. Officers immediately called for EMS assistance. While one officer monitored Mr. Jackson’s medical condition, the other searched the vehicle for identification. Though no ID was found, officers did locate drug paraphernalia. EMS was informed of the possibility of a narcotics-related medical emergency.

While en route to Richland Memorial Hospital, Mr. Jackson experienced cardiac arrest. CPR and other life-saving measures were performed by EMS personnel and the accompanying Irmo officer."

June 22, 2025, approximately 4 a.m.

"Due to the altercation with officers and the possibility of a medical emergency, the SLED Crime Scene Unit was notified and arrived to assist in processing the scene at 7218 Broad River Road."

June 22, 2025, approximately 7:15 p.m.

"Officers notified Mr. Jackson’s mother, who was in North Augusta, that her son had been taken by ambulance to the hospital."

June 25, 2025, at 5:24 p.m.

"The Irmo Police Department was notified that Mr. Jackson, who had been on life-support, passed away."

Sellers' statement after the timeline was released:

After the timeline was released, Attorney Bakari Sellers released the following statement to the media on July 17: 

"The Irmo Police Department is doing their best to smear Byron Jackson who we all know was a loving father, son and brother. Unfortunately their story has been filled with inconsistencies from the very beginning.

They told us there was a high-speed chase. But that wasn’t true. Now, for the first time, they’re telling us that the officers used a stun gun on Mr. Jackson and hoping we’ll overlook that if they smear his name with 'drug paraphernalia.'

Now they’re telling reporters that Byron Jackson wasn’t under arrest despite the fact that they’ve said the exact opposite on multiple occasions. In fact, even the headline from their July 27 release calls this an 'In-Custody Death.'

The truth is that there is one thing the Irmo Police Department can do to answer the questions this family and our whole community have. They can release the body camera video. But that’s the one thing they’re not doing."

Footage released and officers identified on July 21

According to WLTX, Dale spoke to reporters for almost seven minutes on July 21, but did not take questions. Some body cam footage was released, as well as the 9-1-1 call where the caller described a man screaming at someone inside the van. 

The body camera footage showed officers yelling commands. The officers' guns are drawn, pointing at the van. The van door opens, and footage thereafter was not released.

Dale said the officers and Jackson got into a struggle then all fell 15 to 20 feet into a ravine. He identified the two officers as Tyler Baker and John Parker. They are both still on administrative leave.