Trooper Arrested for Felony Murder
Georgia Trooper Arrested After Fatal Shooting
Georgia State Trooper, Jacob Gordon Thompson, was arrested for Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault after killing a man he had pulled over for a traffic violation. This happened on August 7. It’s surprising that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is still withholding information.
Traffic Stop Gone Wrong
While in Screven County, Trooper Thompson attempted to pull over a vehicle for a traffic violation but the vehicle would not stop. Trooper Thompson chased the vehicle down several roads and eventually performed a PIT manuevar to stop the vehicle. In a PIT manuevar an officer lines up the front of his car with the back of the offender’s car then pulls in hard toward the offender’s car. The hit sends the offender’s car into a spin. It’s a dangerous move that takes practice to perform correctly. It does sound as if it was performed correctly but I don’t know what their guidelines are. It seems an extreme response for running from a traffic stop.
The car crashed into a ditch. After that, the only information we are given is that Trooper Thompson shot the driver, Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis, once. Lewis died at the scene. No information is given as to why Thompson shot at Lewis. Did Mr. Lewis pull a gun or some other object? Where was Mr. Lewis when he was shot? Was he still sitting in the vehicle or had he gotten out? Lewis was a 60-year old man who just crashed into a ditch. It’s definitely possible that he could have been fine after the crash but it’s also just as possible that he could have been dazed and injured. No information has been given on his condition.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Press Release
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) put out the following press release:
“The Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) terminated Jacob G. Thompson today, Aug. 14, 2020, due to his “negligence or inefficiency in performing assigned duties; or commission of a felony.” Thompson was hired on July 28, 2013.
As stated in a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) press release, former Trooper Thompson was arrested on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault in Screven County relating to an officer involved shooting which occurred on August 7, 2020. The GBI investigation is active and ongoing.
In addition to an internal Office of Professional Standards investigation, DPS utilizes the GBI to independently investigate incidents of an officer involved shooting and relies on their unbiased findings in those cases.”
This Sounds Bad
If the Georgia Bureau of Investigation decided this quickly that Trooper Thompson should be charged with Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault, it leads me to believe that what happened was way beyond any possibility of giving Thompson the benefit of the doubt. But we don’t really know anything yets since they are keeping a tight lid on the details. Still, the GBI can’t hide the information forever. We’ll update this story when more comes out.