Jury deliberating in deadly Stamford police crash that killed well-known pastor
Former Stamford police officer Zachary Lockwood, now 27, is charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle in a 2023 on-duty crash that killed a pedestrian.
A jury of six began deliberating Thursday morning whether former Officer Zachary Lockwood was criminally negligent in a 2023 on-duty crash that killed a pedestrian.
Lockwood, now 27, is charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle in the death of the Rev. Tommie Jackson, a well-known local pastor. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
Jurors got the case around 9:30 a.m. Thursday, took a brief break about two hours in, then was dismissed for a one-hour lunch.
They have five days' worth of testimony and evidence to consider, including Lockwood's dash cam video of the crash.
The case dates back to the afternoon of July 26, 2023 when Lockwood drove into Jackson while responding to a call. It happened on Wire Mill Road, a curvy, residential street where Jackson lived. He was walking back to his house after his daily trip to the mailbox across the street.
Lockwood had been heading to a minor collision without injuries at the time and was dispatched to go Code 1, a non-emergency response with the flow of traffic.
But Lockwood testified he decided to upgrade his response to a Code 2 after learning one of the drivers had returned to the scene with friends and was harassing the other driver to call off the police.
Code 2 is an urgent response and means lights and sirens to clear traffic and intersections, according to police testimony. Code 3, which Lockwood is heard on the dashcam video saying he's about to go, is an emergency response and requires police use lights and sirens continuously. Lockwood told the jury he did not upgrade to a Code 3.
The footage shows him going as fast as 65 mph at one point on Wire Mill Road. Just seconds later, after going around a curve, drives into Jackson. Lockwood was going 46 mph and braking at the time of impact, according to testimony from state police.
The video captures the pastor start to run when he sees the cruiser, then fall.
At the time, Lockwood had his lights on but not his sirens.
On Wednesday, Lockwood testified in his own defense.
"I'm constantly on the lookout for pedestrians. I just don't expect a pedestrian to see me and try and beat my car," Lockwood told the jury.
During closing arguments, Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Matthew Kalthoff pointed said the case was not about whether Lockwood intended to kill Jackson, but whether he was criminally negligent.
Defense Attorney Michael Fitzpatrick called the incident a tragedy but said not every tragedy is a crime. Fitzpatrick argued that Lockwood had the discretion to upgrade his response to the initial call.
Lockwood previously turned down a plea offer that included two years in prison and a condition he not be recertified as a police officer. He lost his job with Stamford police following an internal investigation.
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