Grieving Stamford community gathers to mourn Rev. Dr. Tommie Jackson
STAMFORD, Conn. -- People were smiling through their tears in Stamford on Friday as they paid tribute to a beloved community leader.
Rev. Dr. Tommie Jackson was struck and killed by an officer in a Stamford Police car Wednesday afternoon.
His widow, Dorye Jackson, serves on the Stamford Police Commission.
"He loved to serve the people, and he did it until the day he died," Jackson said at Friday's vigil.
It is hard to imagine what Jackson has been through.
She says she heard a Stamford police car Wednesday strike and kill her husband as he was crossing Wire Mill Road after collecting the mail, and she spoke with rookie Officer Zachary Lockwood, not realizing at first he was the one who struck her husband.
"We were married 46 years, you know. It's been hard, it's been hard," Jackson said.
Friday night, a grieving community came together to praise Jackson for his years of service to Stamford and the example he set as a longtime church pastor.
"There was no condemnation. There was love, understanding, selflessness," Rep. Corey Paris said.
Stamford Police have turned the investigation over to state police.
- Read more: Connecticut State Police take over investigation into death of Rev. Tommie Jackson in Stamford
"I know that the expertise of the State Police Major Crimes and Collision Reconstruction teams will result in answers to our questions," Stamford Police Chief Tim Shaw said.
Police have released few details about the crash, other than to say Lockwood had his patrol car rooftop lights on and was on his way to a reported vehicle collision.
A lawyer working for the Jackson family has his own accident reconstruction team working the case.
"Whatever happened here, we can all agree it probably wasn't intentional," attorney Darnell Crosland said.
Crosland says the community expects a fair investigation with consequences if they are warranted.
At the vigil, Jackson's granddaughter Norah lit up the room with a song, and friends wrote messages to the Jackson family -- Tommie Jackson's memory no doubt written on their hearts.