The son of a man killed by a Georgia state trooper said Monday he is planning a 63-mile march from where his father was killed to Savannah, where he hopes the U.S. Attorney’s Office will take notice.
“This march is my response to the grand jury’s failure to indict the trooper who killed my father,” Brook Bacon, son of Julian Lewis, said. “What the grand jury did was worse than what Jacob Gordon Thompson did when he shot my father in the head. It was murder when Thompson killed my father.
“But what this grand jury has killed is any faith Black people can have in this justice system. So I must appeal to the federal government like so many other people have had to do across American history,” Bacon said.
On Aug. 7, 2020, Thompson tried to pull Lewis over in Screven County over a broken taillight. After a brief chase, Thompson used a PIT maneuver to stop the car Lewis was driving, according to investigators. Thompson then shot Lewis in the head.
According to the GBI, Thompson gave inconsistent statements regarding events before the shooting. Thompson said he thought Lewis was about to run him over, but authorities found the car was actually disabled when the trooper fired.
The Georgia State Patrol fired Thompson, who was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault within days of the shooting.
On June 28, a grand jury recommended no charges against Thompson.
“The grand jury, they engaged. They had questions,” Thompson’s attorney, Keith Barber, said at the time. “They spoke up, which we wanted them to do that. Jake Thompson has never had anything to hide, from the bottom of his heart.”
Bacon said his family wants federal prosecutors to get involved in the case. The family has also asked for the case to be presented to a second grand jury.
“We must shine a light on what is happening and demonstrate our absolute resolve to continue the fight for justice,” Attorney Mawuli “Mel” Davis said. “This is not just about Julian Lewis but also to highlight police shootings in Georgia and across America. I look forward to being supported throughout this journey for justice.”
The March for Justice is scheduled to begin Thursday morning. Those planning to participate should gather at the Davis Bozeman Johnson Law office in Statesboro at 7 a.m. From there, participants will go to the site where Lewis was killed and begin the trek to Savannah, marching about 12 miles a day.
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