Mother wins suit in police killing
By Jimmy Raynor
Atlanta
Brenda Jackson, the mother of police shooting
victim Jerry Jackson, has won her lawsuit against the city of
Atlanta. A U.S. district judge ruled that three cops involved
in the December 1995 shooting were making an illegal search and
seizure at the time and that the city was liable for their
actions.
The three cops-Ivant Fields, Wayne Pinckney and Willie
Sauls-had received no punishment from the city or the police
force for their actions or for Jackson's death.
The shooting occurred at a motorcycle repair shop where
Jackson and three other young men had stopped to check on some
repairs. An unmarked police car followed them into the repair
shop. Showing no identification and with their guns drawn, the
plainclothes cops ordered everyone down.
The mechanic, thinking they were being robbed, got his gun
and shot at the three cops, wounding one. The police shot back.
Jerry Jackson, who was lying prone on the ground and had no
weapon on him, was shot and killed.
The cops' excuse was that the young men were acting
suspiciously and that their car might have been stolen.
Eyewitnesses from both across the street and inside the shop
say that no one showed a badge or even claimed to be
police.
The killing of Jerry Jackson stirred outrage in the
community. Public anger really flared when a witness to the
shooting from an upstairs office across the street came forward
and said it looked like an execution-one cop stood over Jerry
Jackson and shot nearly point-blank into him.
At the time the killing occurred, the city was able to put a
lid on the anger. But Brenda Jackson kept the pressure on with
this lawsuit. No monetary damages have been set yet. The city
is expected to appeal.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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