Jacob Gordon Thompson, the Georgia State Trooper who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop over a busted tail-light has been denied bail.
On August 7 around 9:20 p.m., Thompson tried to pull over a Nissan Sentra after spotting a broken tail-light, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.
The driver, 60-year-old Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis, fled and led Thompson on a brief before he accidentally drove into a ditch.
Thompson, who claimed he feared for his life, shot Lewis in the head.
Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene.
27-year-old Jacob Gordon Thompson was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault. He was also fired the same day as his arrest.
Screven County Judge F. Gates Peed ruled that it “would be inappropriate” to grant Thompson bond given “the factual circumstances of the case.”
Lewis’ family’s lawyer, Statesboro Civil Rights Attorney Francys Johnson, said in a statement Friday:
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 case is not proceeding as business as usual.
My sincerest condolences and prayers to the Lewis. I pray justice is served.
Source: NY Daily News
