ORLANDO, Fla. — Balloons floated to the sky and tears fell on the road of Indiana Street Saturday in Orlando as Family and friends of 56-year-old Gerald Neal gathered in sorrow and remembrance, releasing balloons at the very place where he took his last breath.
“That was my friend. At exactly 7 o’clock he died,” said Shanneka Long, a friend of Gerald.
A week earlier, Neal was simply sitting on Indiana Street near Rio Grande Avenue when tragedy struck—he was hit twice, first by fleeing suspect 30-year-old Dornell Bargnare’s vehicle, a Nissan SUV, then by an Orlando Police Officer’s Ford F-150 in pursuit.
Friends held a moment of silence and laughed about the memories they shared with Neal before they bowed their heads to pray over their father, brother, uncle, and friend.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol crash report, Bargnare was driving on Rio Grande Avenue, driving away from an unmarked Orlando officer, when he risked a sharp left turn onto Indiana Street. The Nissan ran off the roadway to the right, rushing towards where Gerald was sitting, hitting him and a utility pole.
“What happened to him shouldn’t have happened. Because if they had called off the chase, Gerald would have still been living,” said Reggie Brooks,” Gerald Neal’s cousin.
Witnesses recall the agonizing wait as he was removed from the wreckage before being rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
“I’m hollering for him like Gerald, Gerald, Gerald. Look this man up under the truck. Exactly 33 minutes, he laid up under the truck before anybody even moved his body,” said Long.
Neal had no connection to the chase, making his loss even more devastating. As loved ones honored his memory, questions remained about police pursuit policies and the balance between justice and public safety.
According to the Orlando Police Chase policy, it states officers can only chase a suspect if they think they committed a forcible felony, such as serious crimes like aggravated battery, murder, or kidnapping, but the policy does give officers discretion. It states the officer has to weigh the risks of chasing a suspect.
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