STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT: A Connecticut pastor was fatally struck by a police cruiser just before 4.15 pm local time on Wednesday, July 26. The community is grieving the tragic loss of Reverend Tommie Jackson who was hit while checking his mail.
According to a statement from the Stamford Police Department (SPD), the 2017 Ford Explorer Interceptor Utility involved in the accident on Wire Mill Road in Stamford was driven by Officer Zachary Lockwood. The officer was responding to another motor vehicle incident at the time, said Lieutenant Katherine Cummings during a press conference on Friday, July 27.
Who was Tommie Jackson?
Reverend Tommie Jackson served the Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church from 1997 to 2017 before he served the Rehoboth Fellowship Church in Stamford. He also served as assistant director of the Urban Redevelopment Commission. His wife Dorye Jackson now serves as a police commissioner for the city.
As per the accident report, Connecticut State Police stated Lockwood "made an evasive steering maneuver" before the cruiser he was driving struck the 69-year-old while he was at his mailbox.
Cummings stated that the vehicle driven by the officer had its emergency lights "activated" at the time it hit Jackson, according to preliminary reports. The department stated the officer who has been with the department since April 2022 performed life-saving measures on the pastor "until medics arrived." He was later pronounced dead at Stamford Hospital. Lockwood was also shifted to the hospital for evaluation. He was later released from the facility. Cummings stated that the officer is currently on paid administrative which is "customary protocol" for similar incidents, according to People.
Jackson 'touched the lives of so many' people
Speaking about the accident, Darnell Crosland, a lawyer for the pastor's family stated he and Jackson's family "have more questions now than we have answers," and explained, "The very people that you rely on to protect you is now responsible for taking the life of one of the leaders of our community, and we want answers."
Mayor Caroline Simmons said the pastor was a "beloved member of our faith community" and "touched the lives of so many" people. "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," she said.
Offering condolences to Jackson's family, SPD Chief Timothy Shaw said, "Rev Jackson was a vital member of the Stamford community and our entire city feels the impact of his passing," and added, "Our community is shaken due to this tragic passing."
