As the mother of a missing Gainesville man stood behind the lectern to address Gainesville Police officials, a wave of silence fell over the City Hall Auditorium.
For Sharon Ferguson, the past six days had been a struggle since her son, Omar Jabree Gibson, disappeared.
Gibson, 26, was last seen July 25 at 3:30 p.m.
On Friday, police located his car, a dark blue 2003 Honda Accord, at the Palms of Brook Valley apartment complex, police said.
Ferguson, 43, as well as dozens of friends and family, packed the auditorium Tuesday night for the town hall meeting.
Police held the meeting to update residents on its performance over the past six months, but Gibson’s case was the dominant topic during the discussion, which brought both criticism against the department and hope to supporters.
Fighting back tears, Ferguson spoke to police officials, urging them to continue to search for her son and to focus more on the case.
“So often I watch shows where parents are pleading to find their kids, but I never thought I would be standing in their shoes today,” she said. “I’m pleading with you all. Just somebody do something more to find my son.”
Ferguson was not the only person to voice her concern about Gibson’s case.
Relatives criticized how the case was handled, saying the department was slow to release information to the public.
GPD Chief Tony Jones didn’t release information about the investigation, but he assured Ferguson and the dozens of supporters who filled the auditorium and lobby that police will do everything they can to bring Gibson home.
“We’re going to work to try to find this young man,” he said. “I want to find him alive.”
Since Gibson disappeared, police have been investigating potential leads and believe he is missing under “suspicious circumstances,” according to a GPD notice.
Despite concerns from residents regarding Gibson’s case, police released new data during Tuesday night’s meeting, which showed a nearly 22 percent decrease in violent crimes across the city since 2009.
GPD spokesman Ben Tobias said he hopes the meeting will open dialogue between officers and residents.
“It’s important to keep that line of communication open because if people are looking for information, they can feel more comfortable coming to us,” he said.
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
