PHOENIX — A Valley family is demanding answers after their loved one was killed in a shooting involving Phoenix Police on Saturday.
Police said Imani Jackson, 46, died after two officers shot him at least once.
“He took a lot of people’s hearts with him,” Hunee Jones, Jackson’s niece, said.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: La familia de un hombre asesinado en manos de la policía de Phoenix exige respuestas
Dozens of people gathered near the corner of 25th Avenue and Buckeye Road on Sunday evening to stand in solidarity with Jackson.
“It’s like words can’t even fathom how great he was as a person,” Jazmine Jackson, his daughter, said. “We just want to know what truly happened to him because what they’re saying, my dad would never.”
Police said a man was allegedly threatening several people with a gun near 27th Avenue and Van Buren Street around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday.
That man got in a car and drove off, police said.
Several minutes later, officers stopped a similar-looking car near 25th Avenue and Buckeye Road.
Police said the driver, identified as Jackson, got out of the car and ran away from officers.
Surveillance video from a nearby store shows Jackson walking with his hands up as officers chased him.
“The individual did reach towards his waistband. After that was the officer-involved shooting and we do have a gun that was found on scene,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Robert Scherer said in a press conference on Saturday morning.
Police said two officers shot Jackson at least once. He did not survive.
Investigators are still working to learn if Jackson was the man involved in the initial shooting call.
“There is still a lot of linking these two cases us forensically, through video, you know, thorough other witness statements and victim statements at the original scene, you know, if these two are related, putting those two together,” Scherer said.
Jackson’s family wants to know more about the shooting.
“We really just want the body cam footage, the names, how many times he was shot,” Jones said.
They said they believe Jackson should still be here today.
“This could have been prevented if they just tased him or they could have did anything else. They didn’t have to shoot him multiple times,” Jazmine Jackson said.
Police said no one else was injured in either incident.
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