Police say a man killed Tuesday during a home invasion in northwest Atlanta may have been the target of a crew of robbers that has likely pulled off similar crimes.
Jerrick Jackson was shot several times in the torso early Tuesday as he tried to fight off a group of armed robbers trying to force their way into his home, police said.
“It is a possibility that Mr. Jackson was going to be the victim of a robbery that went bad,” said Maj. Darryl Tolleson of the Atlanta Police Department.
And now police are asking for the public’s help to solve the case.
On Tuesday, police released surveillance footage of three men they are calling "persons of interest" in connection with Jackson's death.
“These individuals attempted to use the stolen debit card … taken from the homicide scene … that belonged to Mr. Jackson’s fiancee,” said Tolleson, the commander of the APD’s Major Crimes Division.
The images come from video footage recorded at a store in the 3100 block of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway about nine hours after the shooting, said Sgt. Greg Lyon, an APD spokesman.
Jackson, 47, is the younger brother of Gospel Tabernacle Cathedral’s Bishop Wiley Jackson.
Tolleson said Jerrick Jackson and his fiancee returned home from a late dinner about 1 a.m. Tuesday.
“As he pulled into his driveway, we believe he was followed by some individuals,” Tolleson said.
Three or four people emerged from a black Ford Mustang and approached the couple, police said.
“He and his fiancee were robbed at gunpoint, then forced into the home,” Tolleson said. “Once inside the home, we believe a fight took place, and at that point, we believe Mr. Jackson was shot.”
Investigators think the robbers saw Jackson’s Porsche SUV and followed him home, although it’s unclear when and where they first spotted him.
“We think he was targeted, perhaps by the vehicle he was driving,” Tolleson said. “It was a high-end vehicle.”
Investigators from the department’s homicide unit have found links to other robberies.
“We’ve identified a vehicle that’s possibly robbed other people,” Tolleson said.
The video shows two of the three persons of interest clearly. Investigators have also released still photos of the two men extracted from the footage.
Investigators ask that anyone able to identify any of these men to call the APD homicide unit at
.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers Atlanta at
, online at www.crimestoppersatlanta.org, or by texting “CSA” and the tip to 274637. An award of up to $2,000 is available for information leading to an arrest or indictment.
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