VIDEO: Deputy-involved shooting reports released
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Official incident reports concerning the Monday afternoon deputy-involved shooting of 18-year-old Jamel Jackson were made public Friday by local authorities.
The release of the reports coincided with a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) release of one of the body camera videos worn by a deputy present at the time of the shooting at the residence of Jamel Jackson and his mother, Gloria Jackson, at West 49 Apartments on the outskirts of Milledgeville.
The Union-Recorder obtained the incident reports filed by Baldwin County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Melissa Condon and Deputy Robert Adams, both of whom were at the scene when the shooting happened about shortly after 2 p.m.
Another law enforcement officer at the scene of the shooting was Deputy Charles Gillis, whom authorities said pulled his service weapon and shot Jamel Jackson in the upper right arm instead of having deployed his Taser as instructed to do so by Sgt. Condon.
Jackson was wounded in the left upper arm, according to the body-cam video, obtained by The Union-Recorder Friday through a Georgia Open Records Act request to the GBI.
Gillis remains on paid administrative leave from his job as a deputy sheriff pending the completion of the GBI probe of the shooting, which was immediately requested by Sheriff Bill Massee.
Meanwhile, Jamel Jackson, who continues recovering from the gunshot wound, subsequently has been arrested by GBI Special Agent David Peebles on misdemeanor warrants charging him with one count of battery under the Georgia Family Violence Act and one count of obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
The shooting followed a 911 domestic disturbance call that the sheriff’s office received from Gloria Jackson, who said she had been attacked by her son.
“Ms. Jackson stated that she and Jamel got into an argument about him cooking food and not cleaning up his room,” according to an incident report filed by Deputy Adams. “She stated that when she confronted him about his actions, he became aggressive toward her. He followed her around the house, hitting her, and knocked her down, holding her down on the floor, and not letting her get up. She stated that she hit him and he finally let her up.”
Deputy Adams said he noticed a bruise to Gloria Jackson’s left eye, which had started swelling and was sore to the touch, the victim said.
Deputy Adams said he asked Jamel what happened and that he reportedly admitted that he fought with his mother and had hit her.
“I wanted to talk with Ms. Jackson without interruption from Jamel, so we stepped outside the door,” Deputy Adams said in his report. “Jamel locked us out. She stated that Jamel suffers from ADHD and ODD.”
The deputy said he asked Gloria Jackson if her son had taken his medication that day. She indicated she thought he had.
Deputy Adams said he informed Jamel that he was going to be arrested for the actions he took against his mother.
“He (Jamel Jackson) was very passive and stated that he didn’t want me to touch him, and refused to be handcuffed,” Deputy Adams said in his report. “After his refusal to follow instructions, I radioed for additional units to assist me in placing Jamel under arrest.”
Sgt. Condon and Deputy Gillis later arrived at the Jackson apartment.
Deputy Adams said instructions were given to Jamel to stand up and place his hands behind his back so that he could be handcuffed.
“Again, he refused,” Deputy Adams said. “Deputy Gillis and I attempted to restrain Jamel by using hands-on force, but he resisted and refused to be handcuffed by tensing up and physically fighting back, pulling away and twisting his arms so we could not grab his hands.”
At that point, Deputy Adams said Sgt. Condon told Deputy Gillis to deploy his Taser, shouting the word, Taser, twice.
“Once she (Sgt. Condon) said to tase him (Jamel Jackson), I heard a gunshot and Deputy Gillis shouting, ‘Oh my God.’”
The body-cam video worn by Sgt. Condon shows Deputy Gillis slamming his hands against both sides of his head immediately after he fired his service weapon.
Deputy Adams said Deputy Gillis had pulled his service pistol instead of his Taser.
In his report, Deputy Adams said Jamel Jackson was shot in the upper right arm, but he was actually shot in the upper left arm, according to the body camera video from Sgt. Condon. Joe Wooten, special agent in-charge of the GBI Region 6 Office in Milledgeville, also confirmed that it was the upper left arm when reached by telephone Friday night.
After the shooting Sgt. Condon informed Gloria Jackson that several high-ranking officials with the sheriff’s office would be talking with her, but that the first priority was getting medical attention for her son. The supervisor deputy then called for first aid.
In an incident report filed by Sgt. Condon, she said Jamel Jackson refused to comply with deputies Adams and Gillis during their attempt to arrest him and place handcuffs on him.
As the two deputies attempted to place handcuffs on Jackson, he pulled away and struggled, Sgt. Condon said in her report.
“I had my Taser out and shouted Taser three times in an attempt to get the attention of deputies Gillis and Adams to move away from Jackson,” Sgt. Condon said. “I shouted a second round of Taser, three more times, in case Adams or Gillis did not hear me.”
Sgt. Condon said Deputy Adams moved away from Jackson, but Deputy Gillis didn’t and continued struggling until he fell into a corner behind a separation wall.
“Deputy Gillis got up and I advised him to tase Jackson to avoid any more struggling since he was in front of Jackson,” Sgt. Condon said in her report. “Deputy Gillis reached for his Taser side area, but unholstered his weapon and fired a single shot. Deputy Gillis realized what happened, re-holstered his weapon and shouted, ‘Oh my God.’”
After Jackson was wounded, he stood up and walked over to the kitchen sink in the apartment and turned on some water, Sgt. Condon said. She said she later had Jackson sit down in a nearby chair.
The scene of the shooting was later turned over to sheriff’s office detective division with Detective Chuck Downing as one of the first to arrive on scene. The scene was later turned over to the GBI for the independent investigation.
Once the GBI concludes its investigation into the deputy-involved shooting, the case file will be turned over to Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Steven A. Bradley for his review.
Bradley told the newspaper Friday that he had met with GBI agents since the shooting.
“I met with the GBI preliminarily, and now I’m waiting on the full report,” Bradley said. “We’ll withhold any decision, obviously, until we get all the facts.”