Ex-Stamford officer takes stand in trial for on-duty deadly crash; jury to begin deliberating Thursday
Former officer Zachary Lockwood, 27, is charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle for hitting and killing the Rev. Tommie Jackson as the pastor crossed the street in July 2023.
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The jury will begin deliberating Thursday in the trial of Zachary Lockwood, a former Stamford police officer charged in an on-duty crash that killed a 69-year-old local pastor more than three years ago.
On Wednesday, jurors heard closing arguments from both sides after the final witness took the stand, the defendant himself.
Lockwood, now 27, is charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle in the death of the Rev. Tommie Jackson.
He was a 24-year-old rookie officer when he was sent to a crash without injuries on Hope Street on the afternoon of July 26, 2023. He'd been told by the dispatcher to go Code 1 - a non-emergency response with the flow of traffic.
Lockwood testified about learning one of the drivers had returned with friends and was harassing the other driver.
"Did that concern you?" asked his attorney, Michael Fitzpatrick.
"Very much so," Lockwood responded.
"And what, if anything, did it cause you to do?" Fitzpatrick followed up.
"To upgrade my response at that point," stated Lockwood. "I upgraded to Code 2."
That meant using lights and sirens to clear intersections and traffic. Lockwood's route took him onto Wire Mill Road, narrow and curvy residential street with a speed limit of 25 mph.
Dash cam video includes Lockwood talking on speakerphone to another officer who was also responding to the minor collision.
"During the conversation with Officer Zoppi, you said you were about to go Code 3," Fitzpatrick stated.
"I did say that," Lockwood agreed, clarifying that he never upgraded to Code 3, which requires police use lights and sirens continuously.
There are no speeds assigned to each code, according to the police department's policy.
The footage shows Lockwood going as fast as 65 mph just seconds before driving into Jackson, who was walking back to his house after his daily trip to the mailbox across the street. Prior testimony said Lockwood was going 58 mph on the blind curve right before Jackson's home and 46 mph while braking at the time of impact.
"Were you looking at your speedometer when you were driving on Wire Mill Road?" Fitzpatrick asked.
"I was not. I was focused on the road in front of me," Lockwood answered.
"Did you ever feel like at any point in time you had too much speed to maintain control?" Fitzpatrick questioned.
"No, I was constantly in control of my vehicle. I was frequently braking," Lockwood said.
Lockwood had his lights on but not his sirens when he hit Jackson.
The video captures the pastor start to run when he sees the cruiser, then fall. Lockwood told the jury he steered left to try and avoid Jackson.
"I'm constantly on the lookout for pedestrians. I just don't expect a pedestrian to see me and try and beat my car," Lockwood told the jury. "I was moving over, so I was shocked when he started to proceed into the roadway."
On cross-examination, Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Matthew Kalthoff brought up that state law says emergency vehicles are exempt from speed limits only when their lights and sirens were on. Kalthoff questioned why Lockwood didn't have his sirens on.
He also asserted Lockwood was more focused on the Hope Street call than the road in front of him. Kalthoff brough up Wire Mill Road's blind curves and the mailboxes on the other side of the street.
During closing arguments, both sides called the deadly crash a tragedy. The question for the jury of six is whether it's also a crime.
If convicted, Lockwood faces up to five years in prison.
The trial is being held at Milford Superior Court because the case was transferred from Stamford after his arraignment due to potential conflicts of interest with the Stamford State’s Attorney’s Office. Last year, Lockwood turned down a plea offer that included two years in prison and a condition he not be recertified as an officer. He lost his job with Stamford police after an internal investigation.
PRIOR COVERAGE: Former Stamford officer will testify in trial for 2023 on-duty crash that killed pastor
Trooper testifies that ex-Stamford officer got up to 65 mph before deadly crash on pastor's street
Day 2 of trial in deadly Stamford police crash focuses on dash cam, body cam, dispatch audio
Jury hears from widow, watches dash cam video of deadly Stamford police crash that killed pastor
Former Stamford police officer rejects plea offer in crash that killed beloved pastor
Stamford officer pleads not guilty in crash that killed beloved local pastor
