By Tim Balk
New York Daily News |
Aug 14, 2020 at 6:42 PM
State trooper Jacob Gordon Thompson was arrested and charged with murder. ((Georgia Department of Public Safety via AP))
A white, now-fired Georgia state trooper was charged with murder on Friday after he shot a Black man who attempted to flee a traffic stop a week ago, authorities said.
Jacob Gordon Thompson, 27, chased down Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis, 60, in rural Screven County, before unloading one round, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Riding in a Nissan Sentra, he had led Thompson on a brief chase, according to the GBI.
“Mr. Lewis never got out of the vehicle and the investigation will show that, mere seconds after the crash, he was shot to death, shot in the face and killed,” said Francys Johnson, a lawyer for the family, according to The Associated Press.
The president of the Georgia NAACP also criticized Thompson.
“No one should have to bury a loved one simply because of a busted tail light,” said the Rev. James Woodall. “This was a case of racial profiling. We are not necessarily happy right now. Yes, the man was arrested, but we’re done dying.”
The investigation is ongoing and Thompson will be booked into Screven County Jail, the GBI said in a statement on Friday.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety said it fired Thompson after he was charged on Friday. He had been a trooper for the Georgia State Patrol since 2013.
Thompson’s attorney, Keith Barber, said his client is a “fine trooper,” according to The AP.
www.nydailynews.com
New York Daily News |
Aug 14, 2020 at 6:42 PM
State trooper Jacob Gordon Thompson was arrested and charged with murder. ((Georgia Department of Public Safety via AP))
A white, now-fired Georgia state trooper was charged with murder on Friday after he shot a Black man who attempted to flee a traffic stop a week ago, authorities said.
Jacob Gordon Thompson, 27, chased down Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis, 60, in rural Screven County, before unloading one round, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Riding in a Nissan Sentra, he had led Thompson on a brief chase, according to the GBI.
“Mr. Lewis never got out of the vehicle and the investigation will show that, mere seconds after the crash, he was shot to death, shot in the face and killed,” said Francys Johnson, a lawyer for the family, according to The Associated Press.
The president of the Georgia NAACP also criticized Thompson.
“No one should have to bury a loved one simply because of a busted tail light,” said the Rev. James Woodall. “This was a case of racial profiling. We are not necessarily happy right now. Yes, the man was arrested, but we’re done dying.”
The investigation is ongoing and Thompson will be booked into Screven County Jail, the GBI said in a statement on Friday.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety said it fired Thompson after he was charged on Friday. He had been a trooper for the Georgia State Patrol since 2013.
Thompson’s attorney, Keith Barber, said his client is a “fine trooper,” according to The AP.
Georgia state trooper charged with murder of Black man over ‘busted tail light’
A white, now-fired Georgia state trooper was charged with murder on Friday after he shot a Black man who attempted to flee a traffic stop a week ago, authorities said. Jacob Gordon Thompson, 27, ch…
www.nydailynews.com
