On the day Nicholas Jackson II started freshman orientation at Norcross High School last August, Jason Dozier was released from Telfair State Prison.
The paths of the two individuals crossed Thursday night in the home of Jackson's family, authorities said. When it was over, the teen lay fatally wounded by a gunshot.
He was the fourth person killed by gunfire in Gwinnett County this week. Three people were killed Tuesday in separate incidents in Buford and near Lilburn.
Jackson was "the type of kid who stayed away from trouble," said Dr. Burrell Pope, principal at Hopewell Christian Academy. The "model student" was valedictorian of the 8th grade class at Hopewell. “That was his motto, he wanted always to stay away from trouble," Pope said.
But trouble found the strapping 15-year-old as he played video games in the basement of his family's Autry Street home, off Holcomb Bridge Road. He and his sister, Nikia Jackson, 17, were at home by themselves at the time, about 6:30 p.m.
Nick Jackson Sr. told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution his son was shot in the heart. The youth died later Thursday at a local hospital.
The elder Jackson said he believes his son startled burglars who had broken into the home by kicking in a door.
"He got up to see what the ruckus was," the father said. The shots seemed to be fired as the suspects retreated, he said.
Nick's sister saw the intruders run from the home and jump into a minivan, their father said.
Nikia Jackson discovered her brother "trying to roll over," said the father, though the soon lost consciousness.
Six men were arrested and charged with Jackson's death including Dozier, who has served four different stints in Georgia prisons dating to 1993 for offenses including robbery and aggravated assault.
Detectives were still piecing together a motive Friday afternoon, said Norcross Police Capt. Brian Harr. While it's unclear why the gunmen targeted the Jackson residence, Harr said, "it does not appear to be gang-related."
Besides Dozier, 36, officers arrested Anthony Bernard Lumpkin, 32, Rico Dehaven West, 19, Eddie Lewis Green, 46, Michael Davis, 23, and Timothy Lamar Johnson, 34, after spotting their van about a mile away from the scene. Harr said several weapons were recovered from the their vehicle.
According to Georgia Department of Corrections records, Johnson was incarcerated in 1999 and again in 2006 on robbery and drug charges. Police would not say whether the other suspects had criminal pasts. All six are being held without bond in Gwinnett County Jail.
The life they're accused of taking was full of promise, say those who knew the victim.
“He was a young man of integrity, a mentor to a lot of the students who were younger than him,” Pope told the AJC. “He was always willing to help out when needed.”
The teen's sister, Nikia Jackson, called him "the best brother anybody could have."
“It seems so senseless,” she said.
Pope said it had been a “hard morning” for Hopewell Christian's 148 students. Jackson attended the school for three years before transferring to Norcross High.
“Kids are crying,” he said. “We have ministers over counseling the students.”
Though just a freshman, Nick Jackson had already mapped out his future.
The fullback/linebacker was promoted from Norcross' freshman squad to the varsity team halfway through the 2011 season, according to his father. He had already attracted attention from Alabama State University's football program.
"That's where he wanted to go," said Jackson Sr., adding the school officials told him they would be sending equipment to place in his son's casket. The funeral will take place sometime next week, he said.
"His life was 70 percent football, 30 percent PlayStation," said his father. "But he always got his work done."
Maribel Arellano, a junior at Norcross High, said she had just recently met Jackson.
“It’s sad how he got shot,” Arellano told the AJC Friday morning. “It’s scary to know that someone can be in your life one day, and then the next day not be there.”
-- Staff photographer John Spink contributed to this article.
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