Trooper testifies that ex-Stamford officer got up to 65 mph before deadly crash on pastor's street
Day 3 of evidence in the trial of former Stamford Officer Zachary Lockwood included a paramedic, an ER physician and a state trooper who reconstructed the crash that killed Rev. Tommie Jackson.
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The state is expected to rest its case Tuesday in the trial of former Stamford Police Officer Zachary Lockwood.
Lockwood is charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle for an on-duty crash in July 2023 that killed Rev. Tommie Jackson as the pastor crossed the street to his home. It happened on Wire Mill Road, a curvy residential road where the speed limit is 25 mph. Jackson had just gotten the mail from the mailbox across the street and was walking back when he was hit.
On Monday, the third day of presenting evidence, Trooper Ryan Hackett, who oversaw the reconstruction and analysis of the crash, told the jury that Lockwood was traveling 65 mph 300 feet before the crash and 46 mph at the time of impact.
The jury previously saw dash cam video that shows Jackson start walking and then begin to run when he sees the police vehicle, before falling and getting struck. Jackson’s wife was home at the time and ran out when she heard the crash.
Lockwood’s body camera footage shows her run up to Lockwood.
“Who hit him?" Dorye Jackson asks.
“It was me. I'm going to a call right now. Oh my God. I didn't—I didn't see him. He was coming off the side of the road right here,” Lockwood responded.
At the time, Lockwood was responding to a car crash without injuries on Hope Street. The dispatcher had told him to go Code 1—a non-emergency response with the flow of traffic where lights and sirens are not used. But Lockwood’s dash cam video shows him speeding and using his lights and sirens intermittently—which would reflect a Code 2. Testimony last week said a Code 2 response is for urgent calls, during which officers use their lights and sirens at intersections and when encountering traffic. A Code 3 response is an emergency where police use their lights and sirens continuously. There are no speeds assigned to each code, according to testimony.
Hackett told the jury his investigation determined Lockwood did not have his sirens on at the time of the crash but did have his lights on. A Stamford sergeant previously testified that lights and sirens are always to be used together. Hackett said the last time Lockwood used his siren on Wire Mill Road was 14 seconds before the crash when he was 1,169 feet from the impact. He also testified that while Lockwood used his brakes, he didn’t do a “hard brake,” resulting in any skid marks.
On cross-examination, Hackett agreed Lockwood only had a couple of seconds to react and said he appeared to try to avoid Jackson by going into the oncoming traffic lane. Attorney Michael Fitzpatrick also pointed out Jackson was not in a crosswalk, and state law requires pedestrians to yield to vehicles when not in a crosswalk.
But on redirect from Milford State’s Attorney Margaret Kelley, Hackett said there aren’t crosswalks on Wire Mill Road.
Earlier on Monday, the state called Stamford EMS paramedic Dan Wellen. Wellen told the jury Jackson was unresponsive and not breathing when emergency crews arrived, and it was clear he needed to go to a hospital immediately.
Lockwood’s body camera footage shows Lockwood doing chest compressions before EMS arrived and took over.
“Was he conscious at all for you?" one person asks.
“No,” Lockwood responds. “I had a faint pulse right at the start. I'm not feeling anything now.”
Wellen testified EMS continued life-saving measures on the way to the hospital, but Jackson never regained consciousness.
Dr. Micah Ambrose, an emergency room physician at Stamford Hospital, took the stand next.
Ambrose said when Jackson came in, he was in cardiac arrest and wasn’t breathing on his own. He was declared dead 20-25 minutes later.
“We tried everything we possibly could,” Ambrose told the jury.
The prosecution is expected to call its final witness Tuesday. Then the defense will have its turn to put on evidence. It's unclear if Lockwood will take the stand.
If convicted, Lockwood faces up to five years in prison. He previously rejected a deal that called for two years in prison and a condition that he not be recertified as a police officer. He lost his job with Stamford police in August 2024 following an internal investigation.
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