A rookie police officer in Connecticut allegedly ran over and killed a beloved local pastor while rushing to a non-emergency call, but the victim’s family is demanding that he be charged with manslaughter. He has also filed a billion dollar lawsuit.
Zachary Lockwood, 24, was arrested Wednesday for a July 2023 car crash that killed the Rev. Tommy Jackson, 69, a father of two who was picking up mail. He appeared in Stamford Superior Court to face charges.
A rookie Stamford police officer who hit a pastor while driving 105 mph in a 25 mph zone was a minor accident with no injuries, a court filing says. Quoted by the Stanford Advocate.
The officer, who graduated from the police academy only six months ago, was instructed to respond to calls under “Code 1,” meaning non-emergency response, without using lights or sirens, and to follow the flow of traffic. said the document.
But Lockwood instead responded with a “Code 3,” which requires officers to use their lights and sirens and rush to the scene as quickly as possible, the arrest warrant states.
When he told his colleague on the phone that he had escalated the response, the officer on the other end reportedly responded, “Damn, don’t go to code 3, go to code 2.”
A short time later, Lockwood can be heard saying, “I just hit someone, I hit someone,” according to the warrant.
State police said Lockwood retrieved mail from the mailbox, then spotted Jackson crossing the road, “swerved” in his SUV and struck the pastor.
Jackson, a prominent pastor of Rehoboth Fellowship Church and Faith Tabernacle Church and deputy director of the city’s Urban Redevelopment Commission, was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
After a months-long investigation, Lockwood was charged with motor vehicle misconduct on February 7th. This is a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Jackson’s family’s attorney, Darnell Crosland, has now filed a motion to increase the charges, saying Lockwood “acted with such reckless disregard for human life” that he would be charged with second-degree negligence. He told the defense team that a charge of manslaughter was more appropriate.
“When you look at the evidence that came out based on the state police investigation, I don’t think it was just negligence. I think the car fraud leans toward some kind of negligence,” Crosland said. .
Jackson’s family is also suing the cities of Stamford and Rockwood for $100 million.
Mr Crosland said the pastor’s death had left a “huge void” in the local community and said the compensation for his family “should be equally huge”.
Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said in a statement at the time that Jackson was a personal friend and “a larger-than-life figure who was a staunch advocate for social and racial justice.” .
“Pastor Jackson was a pillar of the Stamford community and lived a life dedicated to faith and public service,” she wrote.
