A man allegedly caught on video beating a dog to death Sunday in DeKalb County was previously charged in a drive-by shooting outside of a high school, officials said.
Mekhi Jackson, 21, of Atlanta, was identified as the man seen abusing the dog in video footage taken by a doorbell camera at an apartment complex, DeKalb police said. Jackson was arrested in January 2022 after a drive-by shooting outside of McNair High School. According to Channel 2 Action News, police said Jackson served as the getaway driver while a 15-year-old student fired the shots.
Unfortunately, the dog in seen in the animal cruelty video has been located deceased. We have Id'd the suspect as Mekhi Jackson & are asking for the publics help in locating him. If you see him, DO NOT engage with him. Call 911 or DKPD Det. Watson at 404-286-7990. #WeAreDKPD pic.twitter.com/qtm6ExZPnQ
— DeKalb County Police Department (@DeKalbCountyPD) March 17, 2023
Jackson was booked into the DeKalb jail six days after the shooting on three felony counts of aggravated assault, online records show. He was released on bond two days later on Jan. 29, 2022.
More than a year later, with his aggravated assault case still open in DeKalb’s Superior Court, police identified Jackson as the man seen on the video. The footage shows the suspect chasing and hitting the dog, then picking it up and throwing it against a wall. Police confirmed Thursday that the dog died from its injuries.
Investigators are asking for help as they work to locate Jackson.
“If you see him, DO NOT engage with him,” police said.
Anyone with information about Jackson’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective TD Watson at 404-286-7990. Police also ask anyone who sees Jackson in person to call 911.
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