'If you're Black, watch yourself' in Delaware, NAACP says, calling for police transparency
Black people are not safe in Delaware, the NAACP said at a press conference Wednesday, as it intensified pressure on state authorities to be more transparent and release video of last week's fatal officer-involved shooting of Tremaine Jackson.
Police said Jackson had been shoplifting at Lowe's Home Improvement when the altercation and eventual gunfire ensued last Thursday.
NAACP members also called for the disbandment of special police units involved in the Aug. 31 deadly incident in the New Castle area, adding these units have brutalized the Black community.
"What I say to people when they come to Delaware," NAACP Delaware State Conference of Branches President Richard Smith said. "If you're Black, watch yourself in the state of Delaware because the police will kill you."
The statements were made Wednesday morning outside the Hessler Boulevard Lowe's not far from where 28-year-old Jackson was fatally shot in the chest by Delaware State Police. Also in attendance was the mother of Jackson's three sons and their lawyers: Emeka Igwe and Raj Srivatsan.
Igwe is asking the state to recuse itself from the investigation and, along with the NAACP, called for an outside agency to conduct the investigation, such as the U.S. Attorney's Office or a neighboring state's attorney general's office.
"Normally when there's a law enforcement-involved shooting in Delaware, the [state] Attorney General's Office issues the use of force report," he said. "Well, in this case, we believe that it could be a conflict since the officers involved were agents of the state. So we would ask for an outside agency to get involved."
A state police spokesperson asked for the public's patience as the investigation into the incident continues.
“Delaware State Police were attempting to arrest Mr. Jackson because he was suspected of committing numerous criminal offenses and had active warrants for his arrest," said Sgt. India Sturgis, a police spokesperson. "The decision by DSP troopers to use deadly force against Mr. Jackson in response to his resisting that arrest is being investigated by the Delaware Department of Justice and that investigation will focus on the appropriateness of their use of force.
"We ask for the public’s patience as that investigation proceeds and anticipate details being shared with the public at the conclusion of the investigation."
What do police say happened?
According to police, the Governor's Task Force and the Special Operations Response Team were at the Lowe's just before 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 31 to apprehend Jackson, who they said was a "known fugitive" shoplifting at the store.
Jackson had been under investigation for several crimes since July 2022 and police knew he had multiple arrest warrants in Delaware and Pennsylvania for felony crimes and other offenses, Delaware State Police said in a statement.
More: Wilmington man killed by police at Lowe's identified. New details of shooting released
Additionally, police said that during the month of August, Jackson was involved in a string of high-speed car chases, resulting in crashes. Police said that because Jackson's history of evading arrest posed a risk to public safety and due to his apparent involvement in criminal activities, police were actively attempting to arrest Jackson.
According to police, Jackson was trying to leave the store with a cart full of items. Officers tried to stop him, but he ran to a "getaway" vehicle parked behind the home improvement store. Jackson continued to ignore commands to stop and hit an unmarked state police truck while attempting to flee.
Troopers shot Jackson "when he continued to drive in a manner that placed officers in imminent danger," police said in a statement.
Smith and others acknowledge Jackson was a homeless man, who stole to support his drug habit.
What they want to know is how a man whose criminal record consists of primarily non-violent crimes ends up being shot dead by police.
WHO WAS TREMAINE JACKSON? Girlfriend of man shot dead by police Thursday says he wasn't violent
'Police Department that is raging out of control'
Jea Street, A New Castle County councilman and 3rd vice president of the state NAACP, didn’t hold back on Wednesday saying Delaware State Police is “raging out of control.”
“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Street said, pointing to several problematic incidents over the year that has left questions on how the agency is being run. Some of the incidents Street brought up include:
The late-October incident at Academia Antonia Alonso Charter School, in which it took police nearly 80 minutes to arrive after the caller threatened death to students and the school's executive director.
Concerned for student safety, school administrators did not allow children to leave the school, creating such havoc as a dean being accosted, staff being berated and a group of parents shoving their way into the school’s front office after not being able to pick up their children.
More: A school death threat, police delays and a lack of transparency: Our 2-part investigation
There is also last month’s incident in which a 15-year-old boy was assaulted reportedly by a state police trooper. The teen and his friends were pranking Elsmere-area residents with “ding-dong ditch,” when they unknowingly targeted a home owned by a state trooper. The trooper and other officers, including K-9 units and the state police helicopter, went searching for the boys. According to family, the assault of the 15-year-old boy left him with a concussion and needing surgery to repair severe eye damage.
Prior to the 15-year-old’s assault, police detained two to three Black teens not involved in the prank. Two of those teens were drawn out of a Lancaster Village house at gunpoint and held in hot police cars for hours before they were released and the mother of one of them was told it was all a “misunderstanding.”
The trooper accused of assault has not been named by police, but the agency said he has been suspended.
Background
More: Delaware state trooper suspended amid investigation into claims of assaulting teen
More: Delaware police tell mother 'misunderstanding' led to son's detainment in hot squad car
“What we’re looking at is a State Police Department that is raging out of control,” Street said, adding that State Police Superintendent Col. Melissa Zebley has remained silent through all these events.
“Where is the State [Police] Superintendent?” he asked. “The State [Police] Superintendent, with things going on like this, cannot continue to play hide-and-go-seek.”
A state police spokesperson said it was inappropriate to comment.
“A family is grieving the loss of a loved one and we both expect and understand that emotions are high," Sturgis said. "However, it would be inappropriate to comment on specific statements made by family members and representatives of the family at this time.
"We continue to ask for the public’s patience as an investigation is carried out and assure the public and the family of Mr. Jackson that the findings of that investigation will be released when all of the facts are known and a determination as to the appropriateness of the troopers' use of force has been made."
No police video footage
During Wednesday's gathering, Smith said members of police units arresting Jackson were not wearing body-cameras as other officers must do under state law. This was confirmed by Sturgis, who said the agency is in the process of implementing body-worn cameras department-wide.
"Some units, such as the Special Operations Response Team (SORT), have not used body-worn cameras to date as we are working through the challenges of securing the cameras to their specialized uniforms," Sturgis said. "As such, we do not have body-worn camera video of the use of force, but there is body-worn camera video from uniformed troopers who responded after the shooting."
Investigators are still working to determine if there may be other sources of video, she added.
In 2021, Delaware Gov. John Carney signed a bill making it law that all police officers in the state have to wear body cameras. Just before signing the bill, Carney promised the law would improve trust between law enforcement and their communities, particularly communities of color.
More: All police in Delaware now have to wear body cameras. Here's what to know.
While funding for this program would not be completed until 2025, officials said state lawmakers ended up budgeting more money than Carney asked for so the program could be completed ahead of schedule.
Smith asked that Lowe's and other nearby businesses release surveillance footage.
"We just want to see what happened," he said. "How did this man get shot?"
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware NAACP demands transparency after latest fatal police shooting
