|
Analysis of Otis Jackson's confessions
El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan Director
THE PEACE AND JUSTICE FOUNDATION
In this writing I will attempt to analyze the information
that we have so far. We have a confession, formally given to investigators
on or about June 29, 2000, of a young black male by the name of Otis Milton
Jackson - who signed a "Waiver Of Rights," before being questioned
on 6/2900 at 2:15pm. According to the identification sheet attached to
his file, Jackson stands 6.8, weighs 165 lbs, and is of medium build (similar
in stature to Imam Jamil). In the photo
that accompanies this file, he appears to be medium to dark complexioned,
bald, with a short beard. Before examining Mr. Jackson's written testimony,
there are a number of other things that are worthy of note. According
to the documentation, when Jackson "absconded supervision" and
was extradited back to Nevada on April 13, 2000, as he was being booked
into the Clark County Detention Center, "Jackson indicated to the
officer that he had been involved in a shooting/murder of an officer when
he was in Georgia." The amazing thing is what follows:
"The detention officer did not investigate the statement.
Inmate Jackson has been returned to the Nevada Department of Prisons, and
presently he is undergoing intake processing. It would be greatly appreciated,
if you would investigate Jackson's assertion of involvement in a shooting/murder."
The date on this State of Nevada Department of Corrections
Memorandum is July 24, 2000. More than three months after Jackson made the
confession of involvement in the death of a law enforcement officer! Most
perplexing; but this is not all. The memo was directed to a Sgt. Bennett
of the Atlanta (Ga) Police Department, yet an FBI interview of Jackson had
already begun by June 29, 2000. Another document (an Investigative Summary)
issued by Senior Investigator Alvin M. Winston, of the Fulton County District
Attorney's Office, Major Case Division, states that on July 26 (two days
after the Nevada memorandum), Winston placed a call to the South Metro Parole
Center to speak with Parole Officer Sarah Bacon, about Otis Jackson. However,
Parole Officer Tammy Pritchard informed Winston that Bacon was no longer
an employee in the office and that Jackson's case had been transferred to
the State of Nevada. The obvious questions are, (a) why did it take Nevada
authorities so long to contact Georgian authorities with a request to investigate
a man who claimed to have been involved in the shooting of two Georgian
law enforcement officers (and keep in mind that the March 16th incident
made national headlines); and (b) why was it deemed necessary to request
Georgian assistance, particularly after the involvement of the highest,
most sophisticated law enforcement agency in the land (the FBI)? And now
for my analysis of the confession and recantation.
The Confession
As stated previously (in part one of this report), the FBI
summary that I have in my possession is signed off on by special agents
Devon P. Mahoney and Lawrence K Wenk[e], and is based upon an investigation
conducted on June 29, 2000; an interview of Jackson "in the presence
of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Officers Dante Tromba and Greg
Neglich." The things that stand out for me are the following:
1. "Jackson explained that he and Al-Amin were not friends
but acquaintances."
2. "Another black male was at the residence also waiting
for Al-Amin."
3. "Approximately 10 minutes after Jackson arrived at
Al-Amin's residence, Al-Amin arrived. As the three men were talking, a police
car arrived and two police officers attempted to serve Al-Amin with a warrant."
4. Jackson initiated an argument with the officers, "that
got heated, and [Deputy] Kinchen's partner (Deputy English) attempted to
handcuff Jackson."
5. Jackson then began fighting with Kinchen's partner and
Kinchen came over to assist in the fight. Kinchen grabbed Jackson and Jackson
stated that he spun out of Kinchen's grasp and then punched Kinchen in the
face. Jackson then stated that he drew a 9mm Smith and Wesson from his pants
waist band which was covered by his black Islamic robe. Jackson fired one
shot at Kinchen and Jackson thought the round hit Kinchen in the stomach.
Jackson immediately went to his car's trunk where Jackson had an SKS assault
rifle, an M-16 machine gun, and a mini 14."
6. "Kinchen's partner began to run away toward the main
street..."
7. "Jackson was able to shoot the retreating officer
in the leg."
8. "Jackson stated that during the shooting Al-Amin
tried to stop Jackson from shooting at the officers by getting in Jackson's
way. Al-Amin asked Jackson why he had shot the officers, but Jackson did
not answer except to say that he was going home. Jackson stated that he
thought the other black male had been wounded because Jackson saw him lying
on the street, but Jackson was not sure."
9. "Jackson then left in his 1981 or 1982 Chevy Caprice
Classic."
10. "Jackson was asked (by investigators) why he shot
at the officers. Jackson advised that he did not think the warrants for
Al-Amin were valid, and he also did not like the police. Jackson was asked
why the police believed Al-Amin shot the officers. Jackson stated that he
felt the officer made a mistake, since all three of the people there were
black men with bald heads."
The Recantation
Otis Jackson recanted his confession in a handwritten letter
addressed to [then] U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, within days of the
June 29th confession. The things that stand out for me in this statement
are the following:
1. After identifying himself he makes the following complaint:
"I have been put on maximum custody at the Clark County Detention Center
in Las Vegas, and they are charging me with the death of the deputy."
2. "The law enforcement people here are calling me cop
killer, I don't want to eat or anything... If I'm not charged then I would
like to be put back in general housing, and if I am charged then Atlanta
needs to come get me and not let me do my parole violation."
3. Then he rails against the injustice that was committed
by the State of Texas against Gary Graham (aka Shaka Sankofa) - a high profile
execution that took place last year.
4. "...Vegas is giving me a case that I don't have...
Mr. Al-Amin nor myself did anything."
Initially, I thought page three was part of one complete
(two and a half page) statement of recantation, but now I'm not so sure.
Page three has fax info printed across the top of the page, while the first
two pages (addressed to Janet Reno do not). The final statement reads: "I,
Otis Milton Jackson was trying to help a brother not knowing that it would
give me the case. I love Jamil but I did not do anything, I killed no one
and Jamil killed no one. I'm sorry for making [the] FBI feel as if I did
this." One of the officers (Tromba) who reportedly witnessed the initial
FBI interrogation of Jackson stated in a July 13, 2000, interview that while
escorting Jackson back to his cell, he told Jackson, "Jackson's story
was good except that he smiled to much." And further, "Jackson's
people were going to owe Jackson in a big way." Two things jump out
from this statement:
(1) Tromba - and probably most of the other investigating
authorities - found Jackson's narration of the March 16 incident credible;
(2) despite this, however, there appears to have been an immediate impulse
to discredit Jackson's confession. The question is why?
There is another element to this official investigation that
for me is quite glaring. It is inconceivable that trained, impartial investigators
could have attached equal credibility to the two contradictory statements.
It's even more inconceivable to believe that any man in his right mind will
freely confess to a serious crime, without an awareness that his confession
will then result in him being charged with that crime. It's also clear that
Jackson's letter to Reno was written under a great deal of duress. Jackson
was placed in maximum security and labeled a "cop killer." Two
of the worst labels that any inmate can be incarcerated with are child molester
(or child killer) and cop killer. In the former you can be placed at risk
by fellow inmates, in the latter your security can be jeopardized by rogue
correctional officers. It is worth noting that attached to Jackson's file
is a confidential report which suggests that, after being transferred to
maximum custody, Jackson came under heightened surveillance - to monitor
any marked changes in his behavior, such as any indication of suicidal tendencies.
(This document is dated July 10th.)
Conclusion
In my conclusion, the canons of western jurisprudence, generally
speaking, are that a confession is only as good as the evidence that can
support it. In the immediate aftermath of the March 16th tragedy, many conflicting
and contradictory reports were disseminated by the mainstream media (both
print and broadcast); but as the dust settled, and certain facts began to
emerge, a more accurate picture of the tragedy has begun to take shape.
(Jackson's confession is consistent with many of these known facts.) While
initial reports had the assailant using only a .223 caliber assault rifle
that was pulled from under a "black trench coat" (and one of the
most commonly available .223 caliber weapons is the Ruger Mini-14), it is
now an established fact that a 9mm handgun was also used by the assailant(s).
Deputy Kinchen was reportedly shot in the abdomen and leg, and died the
following day. Deputy English (reportedly shot four times) survived, but
spent days in the intensive care unit of Grady Memorial Hospital. It was
within hours of emergency surgery, which concluded shortly after 1 AM, that
Deputy English identified Imam Jamil from a photo lineup as the assailant
of he and his partner. In one of the 911 calls that came in that fateful
night, the caller identified the sound of persons running, followed by the
sound of gunfire. The caller also reported that one of the officers pleaded
not to be shot again, but it sounded like he was being shot anyway, as if
the assailant was in a rage. (On March 17, the Atlanta Journal Constitution
would quote David Chadd, public information officer for the Sheriff's Department,
as stating, "It looked like the gunman had a vendetta for police officers...")
And then we have the question of the blood. Was fresh blood found at the
scene? And if there was, whose blood was it? Much more could be said, but
I think this is enough for now. Only Allah (swt) knows what really happened
the night of March 16, and who all was involved. We can only speculate.
Increasingly, however, it has become clear that information surrounding
this case has been seriously flawed from the start; and it also appears
that persons in high places are attempting to make the water even murkier.
Deputy English was insistent that his assailant's eyes were gray, and the
earliest and most consistent reports had the assailant wearing a black outer
garment. Included in the official documentation that I now have before me
is a "Fulton County Sheriff's Department Incident Report Form."
Two things are striking about this document - which comprises a type written
first person (Deputy English) narration of the March 16th incident. To begin
with it's dated 5/3/00 (almost two months after the incident), and secondly,
in addition to describing Imam Jamil as having "gray eyes," he
also has him wearing (on the night of the tragedy), "a small tan hat,
yellowish cloth quarter length trench coat," and "sunglasses with
yellowish lenses." I think we've said enough. The struggle continues...
(c) 2001, All Rights Reserved
Special Note: Anyone wishing to reprint this report/analysis
(in whole or in part) may do so, with proper attribution, and verbatim.
The wording of this report may not be edited in any way. (For anyone who
may receive this report second or third hand, and who may not be familiar
with the name of the accused, Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin is a well known
and respected Muslim leader, who was formerly known by the name H. Rap Brown.)
|
Share your thoughts and
ideas on this issue with others
|
