A slain northwest Atlanta home invasion victim may have been targeted Tuesday by a robbing crew that likely has pulled similar crimes, police said.
Jerrick Jackson was shot multiple times in the torso early Tuesday morning 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 Atlanta Police Maj. Darryl Tolleson, commander of the department’s major crimes division.
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 shooting death.
“These individuals attempted to use the stolen debit card … taken from the homicide scene … that belonged to Mr. Jackson’s fiancee,” Tolleson said.
The images come from video footage recorded at a store in the 3100 block of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway about nine hours after the fatal shooting, police spokesman Sgt. Greg Lyon said.
Jackson, 47, is the younger brother of Gospel Tabernacle Cathedral’s Bishop Wiley Jackson.
Tolleson said Jerrick Jackson and his fiancée returned home from having a late dinner around 1 a.m., on Tuesday.
“As he pulled into his driveway, we believe he was followed by some individuals,” he said.
Three or four people emerged from a black Ford Mustang and approached the couple, police said.
“He and his fiancée 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 bandits took notice of 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.”
Complex case investigators from the department’s homicide unit took up the case and have found links to other robberies.
“We’re also looking at some similarities as it relates to a couple of other robberies,” Tolleson said. “We’ve identified a vehicle that’s possibly robbed other people.”
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 either of these to call the APD Homicide unit at 404-546-4235.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, 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.
The investigation is ongoing.
Please return for updates.
About the Author
