Unforgiven: Rookie cop, 24, mowed down and killed Connecticut pastor, 69, after ‘speeding to scene of non-urgent callout’… as victim’s family call for misconduct charge to be upgraded to MANSLAUGHTER

A rookie cop is facing criminal charges after allegedly speeding over a beloved Connecticut pastor on his way to a non-emergency call.

Zachary Lockwood, 24, was just six months out of the academy when he responded to a minor car accident in July 2023, reportedly racing from the scene before crashing into 69-year-old Rev. Tommie Jackson as he left his post picked up.

According to his arrest warrant, Lockwood ignored a dispatcher’s orders to monitor traffic flow and instead rushed to the accident with a “Code 3” response – the fastest and most urgent.

State police said he was recorded driving 65 mph in a 25 mph zone just seconds before he collided with Jackson, a father of two, who died in the hospital shortly afterward.

Tributes poured in for Rev. Jackson after his death, with Stamford’s mayor saying his loss was an ‘unimaginable tragedy for our community’

The rookie officer was reportedly recorded doing 65mph in a 25mph zone just seconds before colliding with Jackson, a father-of-two, who died in hospital shortly afterwards

Lockwood was arrested and charged on February 7 after a six-month investigation, but his allegations of misconduct involving a motor vehicle came under scrutiny from Jackson’s family.

The family’s attorney, Darnell Crosland, said they are requesting the charge be upgraded to second-degree murder.

Crosland said the family is “continuing discussions” with prosecutors and met with officials before Lockwood’s arraignment in court on Wednesday afternoon.

He told Hearst Connecticut Media that upgrading the charge to manslaughter would be appropriate because the rookie officer “acted with such reckless disregard for human life.”

“If you look at the evidence as it comes out based on the state police investigation, I think it was more than just negligence, and I think misconduct involving a motor vehicle tends toward negligence,” he said.

Lockwood turned himself in earlier this month following the investigation, which reportedly revealed he ignored a dispatcher’s orders and rushed to the scene of a minor accident as quickly as possible.

The rookie officer and another officer were told to respond to the minor crash with a ‘Code 1’ – a non-emergency response without flashing lights or sirens – as no injuries were reported in the crash.

But Lockwood instead reportedly decided to escalate to a “Code 3” with the other officer, who he was on the phone with.

The arrest warrant noted that the other officer responded, “Oh damn, don’t go to Code 3, go to Code 2.”

Lockwood, seen at his arraignment on Wednesday, allegedly ignored a 911 dispatcher’s commands to respond to a non-emergency call regarding a minor car accident with a ‘Code 1’ response, instead allegedly racing under a ‘Code 3’ with flashing lights and sirens

Reverend Jackson was collecting his mail when Lockwood struck and killed him in July 2023

Code 2 calls for lights and sirens only when necessary through intersections, while Code 3 – also known as a ‘Hot Response’ – calls for officers to arrive on scene as quickly as safely while using lights and sirens.

Seconds after the call with the other officer, Lockwood allegedly responded, “I just hit someone, dude. I just hit someone.’

State police said he was driving 60 mph in a 25 mph zone near Jackson, while the reverend was simultaneously picking up his mail from his mailbox.

When Lockwood saw the 69-year-old on the street, he made “an evasive steering maneuver” that plowed directly into the pastor, the report said. Stamford Attorney.

According to his arrest warrant, he had slowed to 45 mph when he struck Jackson, who was rushed to an area hospital and died a short time later.

Crosland argued that Lockwood’s current charges do not “reflect the seriousness of the situation” as he also condemned how the rookie officer was released on a $10,000 bond earlier this month, quashing the lengthy six-month investigation .

“I think the reason it’s taken so long is because there’s a disparity in treatment between Joe Blow’s citizen and officers who break the law,” Crosland told reporters Wednesday after Lockwood’s arraignment.

“Recklessness is the crucial element of the crime,” he said in a news release calling for manslaughter charges to be filed.

The Reverend’s family, seen at his funeral, have called for Lockwood’s charge to be upgraded from misconduct with a motor vehicle to manslaughter

Jackson was survived by his two daughters and a wife of 46 years

The pastor, seen in photos from his obituary, was known as a cornerstone of his community. His family is also suing for $100 million, saying his loss left an “enormous void” and therefore “compensation from his relatives should be just as enormous.”

‘It means that the suspect acted with conscious disregard of a significant and unjustifiable risk of serious bodily harm or death.

“It goes beyond negligence but does not require intent to kill and the defendant’s actions must be the direct and proximate cause of the victim’s death.

“Put another way, if the actions showed extreme disregard for human life, it would be manslaughter in the first degree, but simple recklessness without extreme indifference would be manslaughter in the second degree.”

Jackson’s family has also filed a lawsuit against Lockwood and the city for $100 million. They say the reverend’s death left a “huge void” in the community, and that “compensation for his relatives should therefore be equally enormous.”

Tributes have been paid to Jackson after his death, and after Lockwood’s eventual arrest in February, Crosland said: “We’re not celebrating, we’re mourning.”

Stamford Mayor Carolien Simmons said at the time, “This incident was an unimaginable tragedy for our community, and my prayers remain with Pastor Jackson’s family and everyone involved.”