Officer ignored call to slow down
Lockwood was told to lower speed before before he struck, killed Rev. Tommie Jackson
STAMFORD — Seconds before city police officer Zachary Lockwood struck and killed the Rev. Tommie Jackson in July, an emergency dispatcher told him to downgrade his response as he was speeding to the scene of a minor car accident, according to the warrant for his arrest.
Lockwood and a second officer were told to head “Code 1” — a non-emergency response with the flow of traffic and no lights or sirens — to a crash without injuries on Hope Street that included a possible disturbance on July 26, 2023, according to an arrest warrant issued by state police last week.
But Lockwood, who was on his cellphone with the other officer, said he decided to go “Code 3,” a term for an immediate emergency response with lights and sirens, according to the warrant charging him with misconduct with a motor vehicle.
“Oh damn, don’t go Code 3, go Code 2,” the other officer said, according to the warrant, referring to a downgraded response that calls for lights and sirens only when going through intersections.
Seconds later, Lockwood can be heard saying, “I just hit someone dude, I just hit someone,” the warrant stated.
Connecticut State Police, which investigated the incident, has not fulfilled Hearst Connecticut Media Group’s request for Lockwood’s body and dash camera footage leading up to the crash.
The 24-year-old Lockwood
graduated from the police academy about six months before the crash, the warrant said.
Jackson was a wellknown reverend at Rehoboth Fellowship Church and Faith Tabernacle Church, as well as assistant director of the city’s Urban Redevelopment Commission.
Jackson had crossed
Wire Mill Road to get his mail and was headed back across the street in the eastbound lane when he apparently saw Lockwood’s cruiser heading toward him, the warrant said. The 69-year-old Jackson tried to run across the westbound lane to get out of the way, but Lockwood also tried to avoid the collision by entering the westbound lane, the warrant said.
Lockwood struck Jackson while driving at 46 mph, more than 20 mph above the speed limit, the warrant said. According to the warrant, Lockwood was going 65 mph when he was 300 feet away from Jackson.
Lockwood immediately called for help and began CPR, but Jackson was pronounced dead a short time later at the hospital, the warrant said.
Jackson’s wife, Dorye, a Stamford police commissioner, heard a thump outside her home and went to investigate, the warrant said. She found her husband lying in the road with Lockwood performing CPR, according to the warrant.
Jackson’s family filed a lawsuit against Lockwood and the city in November, claiming the officer was negligent and reckless while operating his cruiser leading up to the fatal crash.
City officials declined comment on the lawsuit Thursday. Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons issued a statement after the arrest, thanking the state police and calling the crash “an unimaginable tragedy for our community.” Simmons also said she was hopeful for “a fair and just resolution to this horrific situation.”
In the warrant, state police said they interviewed several witnesses, including Jackson’s wife. They also examined key data, including when the officer used his
lights and sirens, his speed and his conversations with dispatchers and the other officer he was on the phone with when the crash occurred.
The warrant outlined the Stamford Police Department’s policies for responding to emergencies and the response required for the various “codes.” Lockwood was using his siren “intermittently” and activated his siren for the last time 15 seconds before he struck Jackson, the warrant said. That was a violation of state law, which outlines when officers should use their lights and sirens, according to the warrant.
If he was responding “Code 3” — the fastest response — he should have been using his lights and sirens continuously, the warrant said. The warrant also indicated that in the circumstance of responding to a crash with no injuries, he should not have been responding “Code 3” without direct instruction from dispatchers.
When the dispatcher instructed the officers to respond Code 1 to the Hope Street crash, they already had indicated that the driver of one of the vehicles had returned to the scene and was creating a disturbance, the warrant said.
In a written response to questions from state police, Lockwood said that based on “the totality of the circumstance, due to the escalated danger and severity of the call, I used my discretion and upgraded to a Code 2.” He also acknowledged in his response to the questions that a dispatcher would have had to give the direct order to upgrade the call to Code 3.
Lockwood turned himself in Wednesday to be served with the warrant and was released on $10,000 non-surety bond. Lockwood is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Feb. 21.