Charges Dropped Despite Video Showing APD Officer Shooting an Innocent Man in the FaceBy Cassandra FairbanksThe Free Thought Project Mar. 19, 2015 |
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Atlanta, GA– Former Officer Kylema Jackson will be remaining a free man after accidentally shooting unarmed Will O. King in the face. The incident happened while Jackson was banging on King’s driver side window with his gun during a traffic stop in April of 2013. Jackson had been on the force for 11 years and had a long history of abuse complaints at the time of the incident. Dashcam footage of the incident has finally been released to the public after the former officer pleaded guilty to simple battery and reckless conduct under the first offender act, escaping felony charges. The plea bargain meant his only punishment would be giving up his state certification and never being a police officer in the state again. It did not say he can no longer be an officer, he can just no longer be one in the state of Georgia. The footage shows the victim attempt to drive off and Jackson recklessly banging on the window with his weapon causing it to discharge. He was being pulled over and approached at gunpoint simply because King had a dealer "drive-out tag" on his vehicle. "At no time prior to the shooting did defendant Jackson have any articulable suspicion to believe that Mr. King had committed any felonies," a federal lawsuit claims.Even if King’s tags had been incorrect or misused, the charge would be a misdemeanor at most. "He's giving verbal commands to roll down the window, there's a very dark tinting on the window, he's not getting the attention of the driver so he tapped on the window to get the driver's attention," defense attorney Holly Hughes told WSB-TV, while stating that it was simply an accidental discharge and minimizing the careless nature of his actions.A federal lawsuit that has been filed claims that the Atlanta Police Department allowed Jackson to remain on the force despite an internal investigation describing the officer as “unstable” and “potentially dangerous to stay on the job.” "Jackson yelled for all of the occupants to raise their hands, to which they all complied, including Mr. King, despite complying with the demand, defendant Jackson used unjustified and excessive deadly force by shooting through the glass of the driver's side window, striking Mr. King in the side of the face," the lawsuit reads.The lawsuit had a long list of previous complaints against Jackson, including a complaint from a fellow officer who described him as confrontational.
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