ǿմý

World

    • Shot in 1.6 seconds: Video raises questions about how U.S. trooper avoided charges in Black man's death

    This image from a dashboard-mounted video camera on a Georgia State Patrol cruiser shows Trooper 1st Class Jake Thompson at the scene of an Aug. 7, 2020, shooting in which the trooper killed motorist Julian Lewis in Screven County, Ga. (Georgia Department of Public Safety/Ebony Reed, Louise Story via AP) This image from a dashboard-mounted video camera on a Georgia State Patrol cruiser shows Trooper 1st Class Jake Thompson at the scene of an Aug. 7, 2020, shooting in which the trooper killed motorist Julian Lewis in Screven County, Ga. (Georgia Department of Public Safety/Ebony Reed, Louise Story via AP)
    Share
    SAVANNAH, Ga. -

    Julian Lewis didn’t pull over for the Georgia State Patrol cruiser flashing its blue lights behind him on a rural highway. He still didn't stop after pointing a hand out the window and turning onto a darkened dirt road as the trooper sounded his siren.

    Five minutes into a pursuit that began over a broken taillight, the 60-year-old Black man was dead — shot in the forehead by the white trooper who fired a single bullet mere seconds after forcing Lewis to crash into a ditch. Trooper Jake Thompson insisted he pulled the trigger as Lewis revved the engine of his Nissan Sentra and jerked his steering wheel as if trying to mow him down.

    “I had to shoot this man,” Thompson can be heard telling a supervisor on video recorded by his dash-mounted camera at the shooting scene in rural Screven County, midway between Savannah and Augusta. “And I’m just scared.”

    But new investigative details obtained by The Associated Press and the never-before-released dashcam video of the August 2020 shooting have raised fresh questions about how the trooper avoided prosecution with nothing more than a signed promise never to work in law enforcement again. Use-of-force experts who reviewed the footage for AP said the shooting appeared to be unjustified.

    An investigative file obtained by AP offers the most detailed account yet of the case, including documents that spell out why the Georgia Bureau of Investigation concluded the 27-year-old trooper’s version of events did not match the evidence. For instance, an inspection of Lewis’ car indicated the crash had disconnected the vehicle’s battery and rendered it immobile.

    Footage of the pursuit has never been made public. It was first obtained by the authors of a new book about race and economic inequality titled “Fifteen Cents on the Dollar: How Americans Made the Black-White Wealth Gap.” Louise Story and Ebony Reed shared the video with AP, which verified its authenticity and obtained additional documents under Georgia's open-records law.

    The footage does not include visuals of the actual shooting, which happened outside the camera's view. But it shows the crucial final moments in which Thompson uses a police maneuver to send Lewis' car spinning into a ditch. Then the trooper’s cruiser stops parallel to Lewis’ vehicle and Thompson’s voice barks, “Hey, get your hands up!” The gunshot rings out before he can finish the warning.

    The documents show Thompson fired just 1.6 seconds after his cruiser stopped.

    “This guy just came out shooting” and did not give Lewis “remotely sufficient time to respond” to his order, said Andrew Scott, a former Boca Raton, Florida, police chief who wrote a dissertation about police chases.

    “This goes beyond a stupid mistake,” added Charles “Joe” Key, a former Baltimore police lieutenant and use-of-force expert who has consulted on thousands of such cases.

    Key also took issue with the maneuver to disable Lewis’ vehicle, saying that, too, was unwarranted. And he deemed Thompson’s claim that he fired because of the revving engine “total garbage.”

    “I’m not in favor of people running from the police,” Key said. “But it doesn’t put him in the category of people deserving to be shot by the police.”

    Thompson was fired and arrested on a murder charge a week after the Aug. 7, 2020, shooting, which came amid a summer of protests in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd and other Black people. The trooper was denied bail and spent more than 100 days in jail.

    But in the end, Thompson walked free without a trial. A state grand jury in 2021 declined to bring an indictment. The district attorney overseeing the case closed it last fall, when federal prosecutors also ruled out civil rights charges.

    At the same time, the U.S. Justice Department quietly entered into a non-prosecution agreement with Thompson forbidding him from ever working in law enforcement again – a highly unusual deal that brought little solace to Lewis’ family.

    “It’s inadequate,” said Lewis’ son, Brook Bacon. “I thought the shortcomings that occurred at the state level would be more thoroughly examined at the federal level, but that’s apparently not the case.”

    The state of Georgia in 2022 paid Lewis’ family a US$4.8 million settlement to avoid a lawsuit.

    The U.S. Attorney's Office for Georgia's Southern District, which reached the non-prosecution deal with Thompson, declined to discuss it except to say the Justice Department communicated with the Lewis family "consistent with the law and DOJ policy.”

    District Attorney Daphne Totten did not respond to requests for comment. Neither Thompson nor his attorney, Keith Barber, would discuss the case.

    Because Georgia law doesn’t require troopers to use body cameras, the dashcam footage is the only video of the shooting.

    "It’s a heartbreaking case and sheds light on the complexities and difficulties Black families face when intersecting with the justice system,” said Reed, a former AP journalist and one of the authors who first obtained the footage.

    Lewis worked odd jobs as a carpenter and handyman. He helped put a new roof and siding on a local church, relatives said, and repaired plumbing and electrical wiring in people's homes. He would often charge friends and family only for materials.

    “He was just a good, kind-hearted person,” said Tonia Moore, one of Lewis’ sisters. “Everybody has flaws.”

    Lewis also struggled with drugs and alcohol. He served prison time for cocaine possession and multiple DUI violations. After the shooting, blood tests found alcohol, cocaine and methamphetamine in his system.

    Thompson, who policed Georgia highways for six years before the shooting, was described in a performance evaluation as “hard working and aggressive.” He led his post in DUI arrests, according to his personnel file, and preferred working nights to improve his chances of catching intoxicated drivers.

    Days after the shooting, Thompson told GBI investigators he used the tactical maneuver to end the chase – which he estimated reached top speeds of 65 mph (105 kph) — out of concern that the pursuit was approaching a more populated area. He acted right after Lewis' car rolled without stopping through an intersection with a stop sign.

    Thompson said that after getting out of his cruiser beside Lewis’ car in the ditch, he heard the Nissan’s engine “revving up at a high rate of speed.”

    “It appeared to me that the violator was trying to use his vehicle to injure me,” Thompson said in an audio recording of the GBI interview obtained by the AP. He said he fired “in fear for my life and safety.”

    On the dashcam footage, a brief noise resembling a revving engine can be heard just before Thompson shouts his warning and fires. Less than two minutes later, the trooper can be heard saying: “Jesus Christ! He almost ran over me.”

    According to the GBI case file, Thompson fired facing the open driver's side window of Lewis' car less than 10 feet (3 meters) away.

    Agents at the scene found Lewis' front tires pointing away from the trooper's cruiser. They also determined Lewis’ car had no power after the Nissan struck the ditch. Raising the hood  they discovered the battery had tipped onto its side after its mounting broke. One of the battery cables had been pulled loose, and the engine’s air filter housing had come partially open.

    Investigators later performed a field test on Lewis’ car in which they connected the battery and started the engine. When an agent disconnected one of the cables from the battery, the car’s engine immediately stopped. Likewise, opening the air filter cover caused the engine to die.

    Because grand jury proceedings are generally secret, it's unknown why the panel declined to indict Thompson in June 2021. Georgia affords law enforcement officers the chance to defend themselves before a grand jury, a privilege not given to any other defendants.

    Totten, the district attorney, decided not to try again, saying in a Sept. 28 letter to the GBI that “there has been no new evidence developed in this case.”

    For Bacon, Lewis’ son, the lack of charges is an open wound. He worries no one will remember what happened given the passage of almost four years — and the number of others killed by police under questionable circumstances.

    “It’s hard for anybody to even reach back that far, especially if they didn’t hear about it initially,” he said. “But these issues haven’t gone away.”

    CTVNews.ca ǿմý

    An Ontario mother said it looked like a horror movie when she flicked on the lights of her son’s bedroom to find him projectile vomiting blood after his tonsils were removed at McMaster Children’s Hospital.

    A Vancouver city councillor is calling out Mayor Ken Sim for apparently limiting access to a city hall boardroom and turning it into a makeshift gym.

    Manitoba RCMP and Crown prosecutors will not lay charges against the driver of a bus involved in a crash with a semi-truck in 2023.

    The Saskatchewan Party is facing criticism for a pre-election campaign ad. It featured video portraying Saskatchewan's scenery but contained some footage actually filmed in Russia.

    Things a pediatrician would never let their child do

    As summer begins for most children around Canada, CTV News spoke with a number of pediatric health professionals about the best practices for raising kids, and how the profession has evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Canada

    • Manitoba RCMP and Crown prosecutors will not lay charges against the driver of a bus involved in a crash with a semi-truck in 2023.

    • A Vancouver city councillor is calling out Mayor Ken Sim for apparently limiting access to a city hall boardroom and turning it into a makeshift gym.

    • Mounties in Ontario say a Burlington man who was already facing charges for allegedly uttering threats on social media in support of the incel ideology is now facing terrorism charges.

    • WestJet says it faces a possible strike by its mechanics starting as early as Friday.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    • WestJet says it faces a possible strike by its mechanics starting as early as Friday.

    • Shell Canada Products says it's going ahead with its Polaris carbon capture project in Alberta.

    • Atlantic Shark Expeditions launched a new shark cage experience which gives brave attendees a chance to get up close and personal with the oceans most feared predator.

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • Former Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber will be among those entering the Hockey Hall of Fame in the fall.

    • The Florida Panthers have made NHL history and two of their players, who call Southwestern Ontario home, are now celebrating their first big Stanley Cup win.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    An Ottawa cat has morphed into a TikTok star, as he's slimming down from weighing 43 pounds.

    Bill Neald is still living out his passion of playing baseball at the age of 90 in Regina’s Senior Mixed Slo-Pitch League.

    A Bracebridge man who died trying to save a distressed swimmer nearly four years ago is being recognized among 18 others for their extraordinary acts of heroism.

    For the first time in two years, a model of the RMS Titanic will return to the Halifax Public Gardens, thanks in part to public demand.

    A decision to quietly remove a decades-old Heritage Minute on Louis Riel has left some in the Métis community scratching their heads, as questions are raised about how Canada's history is portrayed.

    There's a changing of the guard at Victim Services Toronto, as one trauma dog hangs up her harness and another reports for duty.

    The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) out of Western University in Ontario confirmed that five tornadoes touched down in Quebec during the June 13 storm, bringing the total number of tornadoes in the project to six.

    A Superior Court judge has ordered the Quebec government to pay taxi drivers $143 million in compensation for its decision to abolish their permits nearly five years ago.

    Honciuc Menendez is barely old enough to get a driver’s licence but on Friday he’ll officially graduate from the University of Toronto with distinction.

    • A Vancouver city councillor is calling out Mayor Ken Sim for apparently limiting access to a city hall boardroom and turning it into a makeshift gym.

    • Eight months since a devastating fire ripped through Hazel Trembath Elementary School in Port Coquitlam, the lot now sites empty with gravel.

    • Vi Roden said she reads an average of 50 books a year, attends history lectures at her local seniors centre, and does yoga twice a week.

    • An Ontario mother said it looked like a horror movie when she flicked on the lights of her son’s bedroom to find him projectile vomiting blood after his tonsils were removed at McMaster Children’s Hospital.

    • Ontario drivers in good standing won’t have to worry about renewing their licence plates starting Canada Day.

    • An arrest has been made in connection with a botched home invasion in Toronto’s west end last month that ended with the suspect fleeing empty-handed after sustaining a stab wound, police say.

    • WestJet says it faces a possible strike by its mechanics starting as early as Friday.

    • Alberta RCMP are looking for the public's help to identify a man whose body was found in Bow Valley Provincial Park last November.

    • Shell Canada Products says it's going ahead with its Polaris carbon capture project in Alberta.

    • An Ottawa man is facing charges of uttering threats and harassment after allegedly making threats towards Ottawa-Vanier Coun. Stephanie Plante.

    • The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) will hold a flypast over downtown Ottawa and LeBreton Flats on Wednesday, as part of preparations for Canada Day. Aircraft are scheduled to fly over Ottawa between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.

    • The National Hockey League and Fanatics released images of the Fanatics Authentic Pro NHL on-ice uniforms for the Senators and all NHL clubs Wednesday morning.

    • In just under a year's time, important pieces of the new French language law are set to come into force for companies operating in Quebec. Although many are preparing for the laws to be applied, the future requirements are still causing some stress, notably because of the paperwork involved and what some say is a lack of clarity.

    • Researchers out of McGill University say there is a critical need for safer cycling infrastructure around certain intersections in Montreal after pinpointing 10 troubling spots in a recent survey.

    • Two people are in hospital, including a teenage driver, after a crash on Highway 20 in Beaconsfield in Montreal's West Island.

    • Alberta is opting out of the federal dental plan, the premier told the Canadian government late Tuesday afternoon.

    • Edmonton police are warning the public about the release of a convicted sexual offender into the city who they believe could offend again.

    • Police taped off the entrance to an apartment building east of Whyte Avenue early Wednesday morning.

    • The Nova Scotia RCMP has arrested a man in connection with an emergency alert issued in Lunenburg County Wednesday morning.

    • Harold Borden Anderson, who wore high heels for decades in Halifax and loved to travel, has died.

    • Manitoba RCMP and Crown prosecutors will not lay charges against the driver of a bus involved in a crash with a semi-truck in 2023.

    • A Wednesday morning fire at an apartment building in Winnipeg has sent two people to the hospital.

    • A well-known Metis musician has died after a years-long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

    • Award winning actor Tatiana Maslany is set to be honoured today at a special Canada's Walk of Fame 'Hometown Stars' event in Regina.

    • The Saskatchewan Party is facing criticism for a pre-election campaign ad. It featured video portraying Saskatchewan's scenery but contained some footage actually filmed in Russia.

    • High emotions filled a Regina courtroom on the second day of a trial for a former Regina teacher accused of sexually exploiting a female student.

    • A Waterloo resident has died following a Tuesday night crash north of Milverton, Ont.

    • An ongoing dispute between the University of Waterloo and a pro-Palestinian encampment has turned into a legal battle.

    • The Florida Panthers have made NHL history and two of their players, who call Southwestern Ontario home, are now celebrating their first big Stanley Cup win.

    • The Government of Saskatchewan announced that it will not comply with the incoming federal clean electricity regulations.

    • A judge has rejected a Saskatoon mayoral candidate’s bid for a court injunction on zoning changes required for the city to access federal housing accelerator funds.

    • The Saskatchewan Party is facing criticism for a pre-election campaign ad. It featured video portraying Saskatchewan's scenery but contained some footage actually filmed in Russia.

    • Ontario Provincial Police are asking the public for help identifying a suspect after a bag of dead puppies washed ashore in a creek in the North Bay area earlier this month.

    • Ancient burial grounds in the Town of Blind River will soon be marked, and blocked off to the public.

    • Londoners experiencing homelessness must now navigate a more complex and restrictive set of rules about where they can set up a tent or make-shift shelter.

    • CTV London Meteorologist Julie Atchison said sunshine will start your Tuesday, 'A nice mix of sun and cloud, winds picking up out of the south as we head into the afternoon.'

    • A last ditch effort to investigate constructing a new city hall building in the heart of downtown London was shot down by a majority of city council.

    • A high-ranking Barrie Police Service officer facing a second count of discreditable conduct made her first appearance in a virtual Police Services Act hearing Wednesday morning.

    • One man has been charged with possession of a stash of stolen goods and machinery.

    • The Aurora man convicted in the death of his wife sat in a courtroom on Tuesday while his family gave emotional victim impact statements ahead of his sentencing.

    • Essex County OPP have released the names of four family members in an ongoing death investigation in Harrow.

    • A special meeting of the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) was dissolved after numerous disruptions from members of the public.

    • Three students were on a school bus that allegedly ran a red light, colliding with an SUV passing through an intersection on June 19.

    • Vi Roden said she reads an average of 50 books a year, attends history lectures at her local seniors centre, and does yoga twice a week.

    • Volunteers carried cages containing very rare furry creatures up Mount Washington on Monday as part of the mission to save Canada’s most endangered mammal.

    • British Columbia Green Party MLA Adam Olsen will not seek re-election this year, the two-term member of the legislature announced Tuesday, citing "an existential re-evaluation of what is truly important to me."

    • Mounties in Kelowna say a suspect is at large after a man was stabbed in the city Sunday afternoon.

    • Police are remaining tight-lipped about a woman’s death in a Kelowna park on Friday.

    • Police have identified a man found dead in B.C.’s Interior last weekend as Donald “Donnie” Lyons.

    • The trial of two men charged with conspiracy to commit murder at the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., is expected to hear more from one of the accused in a video statement he gave to police.

    • Lethbridge College will soon become Alberta's latest polytechnic.

    • Before the St. Mary siphon burst, the Milk River's flow rate was approximately 17 and a half cubic metres per second. Monday, it was less than one cubic metre per second.

    • Ancient burial grounds in the Town of Blind River will soon be marked, and blocked off to the public.

    • Police in Sault Ste. Marie say an 18-year-old suspect is now charged with assaulting two people with a metal bat on the same day.

    • A dispute turned violent in Sault Ste. Marie on Monday when a suspect drove their truck through the front door of a business, causing a lot of damage and injuring one person.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow CTV News