Georgia State Patrol trooper, Jacob Gordon Thompson, has been taken into custody for his role in a tragic traffic stop that occurred on Friday, Aug. 7.
Thompson, 27, was arrested and charged with felony murder after shooting a Black man, Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis, 60, according to CNN.
The fatal incident, which occurred in Screven County (Georgia), escalated when Lewis reportedly gave chase and the officer enacted a “precision Intervention technique,” according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).
Georgia state trooper Jacob Gordon Thompson (left) was fired and charged with murder for shooting Julian Lewis (right) who tried to flee a rural traffic stop: https://t.co/rMSAPZel6f pic.twitter.com/xLYtp15epm
— Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) August 15, 2020
UPDATE: Released mugshot of 27-year-old Jacob Gordon Thompson arrested on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault in Screven County. Georgia State Patrol releases incident report following the shooting.
Read more here: https://t.co/gv2LMWi1LA pic.twitter.com/GeupGthZ14— WGXA (@WGXAnews) August 14, 2020
FBI Atlanta public affairs specialist Kevin Rowson shared a statement with CNN via email that indicated they are actively communicating with local and state authorities.
“The FBI is aware of the Screven County matter and we have been in contact with local and state authorities. The FBI is always prepared to investigate whenever information comes to light of a potential federal violation,” Rowson said.
Francys Johnson, the attorney representing the Lewis family, issued a statement that read in part:
“The unprecedented pace of the investigation is a direct result of years of activism on these issues along with a sea-change in law enforcement leadership at the top of the GBI. This was not business as usual. The GBI and now the FBI who have launched a separate civil rights investigation have done what was right at this stage. I rarely get to say that.”
A portion of a news release provided by the Atlanta Voice demanded a state of emergency in Georgia from it’s NAACP chapter “with respect to the never-ending acts of police violence that regularly and consistently put our communities in danger.”
“I want justice for Julian. He was too good to die as he did. This is one step towards justice,” Lewis’s widow, Betty Lewis, said in the statement released by Johnson.
