As a Connecticut community mourns the death of a prominent faith leader, the state police have launched an investigation into how he was struck and killed while crossing the street near his home in Stamford.
Rev. Tommie Jackson, 69, was killed on Wednesday, July 26. He was a pastor at Rehoboth Fellowship Church and Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church and was actively involved in the community. His wife is a Stamford police commissioner, and he was the city’s assistant director of the Urban Redevelopment Commission.
Stamford Assistant Police Chief Silas Redd said Jackson was a “friend and partner” to the department. However, Jackson’s family attorney believes the officer from that department who fatally struck him was at fault.
According to the state investigators, Stamford Police Officer Zachary Lockwood was responding to an accident with his lights on when he struck Jackson near his home on Wire Mill Road around 4:10 p.m.
The state police found that Lockwood, 24, was driving eastbound on Wire Mill Road when he encountered Jackson crossing the road after retrieving items from his mailbox. While reportedly trying to avoid the collision, Lockwood swerved into the westbound lane. He immediately performed CPR on Jackson until medics arrived. Jackson was later pronounced dead at Stamford Hospital.
Details regarding Lockwood’s speed at the time of the crash were not disclosed by the state police. However, in accordance with “customary protocol.” Lockwood, a Stamford officer since April 2022, was placed on paid administrative leave and offered peer support from the department, according to Connecticut State Police Lt. Katharine Cummings.
Jackson’s family attorney and friends have questioned how the officer could make a mistake and hit the man who was “big and tall and strong.”
“What my investigation is telling me is that he possibly was distracted at the time of the accident,” said attorney Darnell Crosland. “If in fact he was distracted, if in fact we find out more evidence that leads us to believe that he was at fault, more than an accident, then I’m not sure why we would dim the lights on the focus, which is the victim, which is Reverend Dr. Jackson.”
His passing has impacted the community as tributes from municipal officials, friends, and clergy have poured in.
“He was a larger-than-life figure, someone who had an indelible impact on our community and someone who touched the lives of so many through his lifelong commitment to faith and public service,” Mayor Caroline Simmons said at a news conference on Friday. “We’re all mourning together, and I know I’m going to greatly miss his infectious smile, his energy, his wonderful sense of humor.”
As the investigation continues, Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw asked for patience from the public while awaiting answers about the circumstances surrounding Jackson’s death.
“All of us want answers as to what occurred this week,” Shaw said. “I know that the expertise of the state police major crimes and collision reconstruction teams will result in answers to our questions.”
