An Atlanta man accused of killing a dog in an incident captured by a doorbell camera in March has been indicted on multiple counts of animal cruelty in DeKalb County, officials said.
Mekhi Jackson, 21, will remain in jail after his bond was denied Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jackson also faces charges in a previous, unrelated case in which he is accused of playing a role in a drive-by shooting outside McNair High School in January 2022, according to court records.
Jackson has been in and out of jail this year after a DeKalb prosecutor’s mistake led to him being granted bond in the animal cruelty case in March.
After Jackson’s arrest earlier this year, his bond was revoked in the drive-by shooting case, court records show. He was rebooked into jail April 6 on multiple felony counts of aggravated assault, along with gun and drug charges, according to jail records.
Court records show that Jackson has not been indicted in the drive-by shooting case but will remain in jail after his motion for bond was denied in a hearing linked to both cases against him.
The animal cruelty incident took place March 12 at the Highlands at East Atlanta apartments on Flat Shoals Road, a troubled complex highlighted in the AJC’s Dangerous Dwellings investigation. Jackson, who lived in the complex, was identified as the man seen beating a dog in a widely shared video caught by a doorbell camera, DeKalb police said.
The footage shows Jackson chasing and hitting the dog, then throwing it against a wall, the district attorney’s office said. The dog later died from its injuries, and Jackson is also accused of concealing its remains.
Tuesday’s indictment charges Jackson with three felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor count of tampering with evidence, according to court records.
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