Day 2 of trial in deadly Stamford police crash focuses on dash cam, body cam, dispatch audio
Former officer Zachary Lockwood, 27, is charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle for a deadly on-duty crash on Wire Mill Road in Stamford that killed the Rev. Tommie Jackson on July 26, 2023.
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A former Stamford police officer's dash cam and body cam video, along with dispatch audio, were the focus of Day 2 of his trial in an on-duty crash that killed a local pastor.
Zachary Lockwood, 27, is charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle in the death of the Rev. Tommie Jackson on July 26, 2023. At the time, Lockwood was responding to another call when he drove into Jackson on Wire Mill Road. Jackson had gone to his mailbox across the street from his home and was walking back when Lockwood drove into him.
Lockwood's dash cam video shows it was a sunny and dry summer afternoon. According to testimony, Lockwood was on his way to a minor crash and a dispatcher had told him to use "Code 1," a non-emergency response. That means to go with the flow of traffic and not use lights or sirens.
In the video, Lockwood is on speaker phone and complains about the traffic to another officer who's also on the way.
"I'm going to f--king 'Code 3' over there, dude. I'm all the way over on High Ridge right now," Lockwood says."
"Oh damn! Don't go 'Code 3! Go 'Code 2,'" the officer responds.
The video captures Lockwood speeding and using his lights and sirens at times.
"I'm going to be a little bit. I'm taking back roads right now," Lockwood says in the video.
Wire Mill Road is a curvy, residential street with a speed limit of 25 mph. At one one, Lockwood gets up to 65 mph, according to the footage. Then seconds later, Lockwood drives into Jackson.
"I just hit someone, dude! I just hit someone!" Lockwood says.
He was going 46 mph at the time of impact, according to state police testimony.
The video then shows Jackson's wife, Dorye Jackson, running out of their home not knowing what happened or who was involved.
"What road are we on? Tell me! What road is this?" Lockwood asks, audibly upset.
"Wire Mill Road," she responds.
"I just hit someone on Wire Mill Road. I need a 'Code 3.,'" Lockwood calls into his radio.
Lockwood's body cam footage shows his interaction with Dorye Jackson once she realizes her husband is the man on the ground.
"Who hit him?" she asks.
"It was me. I was going to a call. I didn’t see him!" Lockwood answers.
The video also shows Lockwood roll Jackson onto his back and start chest compressions before EMS arrives.
"Come on, Tommie. Stay with me, Tommie," Lockwood says.
He tells medics on scene that Lockwood initially had a faint pulse but no longer does.
"Was he conscious at all for you?" one asks.
"No," Lockwood responds.
Lockwood is later heard telling another officer, "I was going 'Code 2' to the 34."
His decision to use 'Code 2'--an emergency response--is at the heart of his trial now more than three years later. Prosecutors argue Lockwood was criminally negligent by upgrading his response without being told to do so by a supervisor. But the defense counters that the police department's policy gives officers discretion to increase the response based on developing information.
On Friday, the jury learned more about that initial call. It was for a crash without injuries with a possible misuse of plates. The prosecution played dispatch audio relaying that the incident involved "an old truck versus Toyota Camry" in a back lot on Hope Street. The dispatcher also relayed that the truck driver had left but returned with four or five men who were harassing the Toyota's driver.
Jurors heard from the two other officers who responded to that initial call on Hope Street. One of them, Joseph Zoppi, was the officer whom Lockwood was speaking with on his dash cam.
Zoppi took the stand, during which the prosecution played his cam video from that same time frame. It showed Zoppi also used a "Code 2" while heading to the Hope Street scene, increasing his speed and activating his lights and sirens through intersections.
The other officer, Robert Somody, did not use an emergency response. Somody had no dash cam footage from the call because he never activated his lights and sirens. But on cross-examination, Somody admitted he was concerned about the Hope Street incident when he learned the truck's driver had returned with additional people.
Lockwood's trial is being held at Milford Superior Court because the case from transferred from Stamford after his arraignment due to potential conflicts of interest with the Stamford State's Attorney's Office. Last year, Lockwood turned down a plea offer that included two yeas in prison and a condition he not be recertified as an officer. He lost his job with Stamford police after an internal investigation
The trial continues Monday.
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