Plea Offer Rejected By Former Stamford Cop Charged In Pastor's Death: Report

STAMFORD, CT — Zachary Lockwood, the former Stamford police officer charged in the 2023 crash that killed a beloved pastor, has rejected a plea offer from the state, according to the Stamford Advocate.

The plea offer would have seen Lockwood, 25, sentenced to two years in prison, the Advocate reported. The offer was rejected Wednesday at state Superior Court in Milford, and the case was moved to the trial list, the Advocate noted.

Lockwood is charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle, a Class D felony that carries up to five years behind bars.

Last December, a judge denied a motion from Lockwood to move the case to Bridgeport, and in January, he was presented with the plea offer. The case was originally moved from Stamford to Milford to prevent potential conflicts of interest.

On July 26, 2023, at approximately 4:20 p.m. on Wire Mill Road, Lockwood struck the Rev. Tommie Jackson with his patrol car while responding to a separate call, police said. Jackson had just retrieved his mail and was attempting to cross the roadway.

A member of the SPD since April 2022, Lockwood was placed on administrative after the incident, and he turned himself in on an arrest warrant in February 2024. He was fired from the Stamford Police Department several months later.

Jackson was a beloved member of the community and a pastor at Rehoboth Fellowship Church in Stamford, and previously at Faith Tabernacle Church. He was also the assistant director of the Stamford Urban Redevelopment Commission, an agency created in 1954 that handles municipal development projects.

Read more from Stamford Advocate