After a grand jury has declined to indict a former Georgia State Patrol trooper who shot and killed a fleeing suspect in 2020, the family and attorneys representing the deceased are demanding video footage of the shooting be released.
Jacob Thompson was facing charges of murder and aggravated assault in the shooting death of Julian Lewis, 60, in Screven County. A grand jury, according to WTOC, has returned a no-bill in the case, meaning it does not recommend charges against Thompson.
Lewis was shot in the head on Aug. 7 by Thompson, who GBI agents have alleged gave inconsistent statements regarding events leading up to the shooting. Thompson said he thought Lewis was about to run him over because he revved the engine, but authorities found the car was actually disabled when the trooper fired.
The Lewis family is being represented by Statesboro, Georgia, attorney Francys Johnson and the metro Atlanta-based law firm of Davis Bozeman, all of whom held a zoom press briefing late Tuesday morning.
“We believe this was a very strong case,” Johnson said. “The evidence was there. We want to see the video; it has not been shown. Show us the evidence.”
Johnson also called for the empanelment of another grand jury, and asked local prosecutors to meet with Lewis’ family as well.
“What happened August 7 was murder,” Johnson said, who called the most recent grand jury “a runaway grand jury.”
“This grand jury determined that the GBI was wrong and a superior court judge was wrong in finding that there was no probable cause to indict Thompson. This is why so many people have no faith in the criminal justice system when it comes to justice for Black people in this State and across the country. It is heartbreaking for this family, but not a surprise to us,” said Davis, as reported by WTOC.
In November 2020, the family announced their intention to sue the state for $13 million, arguing that Thompson behaved recklessly while attempting to pull over Lewis for an alleged tail light violation. When Lewis continued driving, Thompson used his cruiser to push the car off the road and shot him about a second later, authorities have said.
“The grand jury, they engaged. They had questions. They spoke up which we wanted them to do that. Jake Thompson has never had anything to hide from the bottom of his heart,” said Thompson’s attorney, Keith Barber.
