What happened to Jace Eubanks? The case explored as Brooklyn dad sues city over son's 2021 death

Jamal Eubanks, the father of Jace Eubanks, the 4-year-old killed by his mother's boyfriend, has filed a lawsuit against New York city and the Administration for Children's Services for failing to protect his young son despite multiple reports of potential abuse before his violent death in September 2021.

The lawsuit read:

“The Eubanks children and their father were victims of the notoriously inept (ACS) and the city of New York ... after numerous failures of the city to protect the most innocent and vulnerable among us, our children, over decades.”

Jace Eubanks was killed in his mother’s Brooklyn apartment by her boyfriend, 28-year-old Jeremiah Johnson, who reportedly had an extensive criminal record, including 27 prior arrests for burglary, possession of an illegal substance and aggravated harassment, Daily News reports.

As per the outlet, Jace Eubanks' mother had custody of the victim and his five-year-old brother, who reportedly bore witness to the horrifying incident that claimed his sibling’s life.

The lawsuit filed by Jamal added that weeks before his son's death, despite being alerted by his daycare center, childcare services repeatedly ignored complaints about child abuse.

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Jace Eubanks' official cause of death was battered child syndrome

Mina Malik/Twitter

According to the Daily News, law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call around 5:30 am on September 12, 2021, after neighbors heard screaming from Jace Eubanks' Brooklyn apartment.

At the scene, authorities found the victim's mother holding him in front of her apartment, where she flagged police down and watched officers try to revive her unresponsive son at the scene. Eubanks was transported to a Brooklyn area hospital, where he later died. He died due to battered child syndrome, with recent blunt force injuries to the torso. Johnson was subsequently charged with the murder of the child.

Jace Eubanks' brother was placed in foster care after the incident. The victim’s father told CBS News that he was unaware of the abuse suffered by his son. The lawsuit, filed to seek damages and prevent future negligence, alleged that Johnson had a criminal past that dated back to 2013, including a history of child abuse.

The lawsuit alleged that the accused "had a history of child abuse and, over the course of the previous four years, at least three reports of abusing children and committing acts of domestic violence."

The document added:

“The City allowed Jace and his brother to remain in the custody and care of a known violent child predator. Due to deliberate indifference, these agencies failed to remove the children from danger and allowed Jace to be violently and viciously tortured, resulting in his death.”

According to the lawsuit, in the months leading up to Eubanks' death, at least three other children died due to child abuse. All three were reportedly in the ACS system.

In response to the lawsuit, the ACS' legal department told CBS News that the victim's death was “a tragic and senseless loss.”

They added:

“We'll review the case and respond in the litigation.”

Jamal Eubank’s attorney stated that weeks before the tragic death, the victim had healing fractures in his body, and if x-rayed by doctors, they would have revealed signs of abuse. He added that ACS failed to do their due diligence by not following up on the initial complaints.