JUSTICE FOR JAYLEN LEWIS! WE DEMAND TRANSPARENCY

         The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI)  is investigating an officer-involved shooting that involved Capitol Police on Sunday, September 25, 2022, around 9 P.M. The shooting occurred near East Mayes St. in Jackson, Mississippi. Twenty-five-year-old Jaylen was fatally shot in the head by a member of Mississippi's Capitol Police task force while driving around with a female friend.

    Last time I checked, driving around town isn't illegal. We live in America and are free to drive whenever and wherever we want to, as long as we follow traffic laws. However, on that fateful night, Jaylen's freedom was violated when a capitol police officer began to follow him around without identifying themselves. He didn't know that it was a police officer because they didn't turn on their lights or identify themselves as such. Pastor Pickett of New Jerusalem Baptist Church told WLBT-TV that he spoke with the female witness who was in the car with Lewis. "They didn't know who it was because there were no blue lights, no identification. So, he called one of his friends because he didn't know if someone was out to get him or who it was," he said.

     Moments later, when Jaylen and his female passenger were sitting at a red light, obeying traffic laws, an on-foot Capitol police officer pointed a gun at him and shot him in the head without warning. So, he died, execution style, not knowing why he was shot or what had happened to him. And four months later, the Police department, MBI, and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) haven't released the involved officers' names. Moreover, no public officials have issued a statement or acknowledged what has happened. It seems like a cover-up is underway because of all the secrecy. Why is the name of the officer who shot Jaylen Lewis being kept a secret? Why haven't the officers been named? Let us know if the officers are still on administrative leave. Furthermore, why did it take so long for emergency help to be called? Also, why was Jaylen's sister handcuffed when she arrived on the scene and begin videotaping what was going on? Release the autopsy. Release a press statement. Show some compassion, accountability, and respect. Be transparent! The family needs answers. Now!

     Commissioner Sean Tindell from The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) states that:
"An internal investigation into this incident is underway, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is conducting its independent inquiry and will present its findings to the Attorney General's office,"  "Such incidents require a thorough investigation, scrutiny, and transparency. Therefore, any releasable information regarding this incident will be made public by the Department of Public Safety at the appropriate time."

      Although the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) states that they're investigating the incident, it has been almost four months, and the family has not heard anything. The family hasn't received updates, a police report, an autopsy, or anything. Moreover, the police state that they're investigating the incident; however, they haven't contacted the primary witness that was with Jaylen that night to ask her additional questions. On the night Jaylen was killed, she was sitting in the passenger side of the vehicle, so you'd think they would have asked further questions by now.

   Further, Last year, when the incident occurred, The MBI claimed that they would investigate and report their findings to the Attorney General's office. However, it has been four months since Jaylen was shot, and nothing has been done. not even a press release or an autopsy report. Also, the name of the officer who shot Jaylen and the other officers involved haven't been named. Since when does everything surrounding a homicide incident, including the name of the shooter and autopsy report, be hidden and not released for months? Allegedly, the involved officers were put on administrative leave until the investigation was complete. However, there is no way to confirm this without knowing the names of the officers. Again, there's no transparency.

    The only thing the Capitol police released to Jaylen's mother was the vehicle that Jaylen was driving that fateful night. However, that is not enough; more things need to be released, such as the police report, autopsy, and employment status of the officers involved.

    Therefore, this petition is demanding transparency. Name the shooters, release the autopsy, give updates on current employment status, and provide a press statement. Most importantly, give justice, which is a human right. They seem to be protecting the officers instead of the victim who lost his life.

     The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is also investigating three other shootings by that same Capitol police task force, that occurred around the same time. So, clearly, that task force is corrupt or needs to be revamped. The three nonlethal shootings occurred on July 9, July 25, and August 14, 2022. So, Jaylen's murder on September 25, 2022, made the fourth officer-involved shooting by the capitol police task force in a short time period. The capitol police task force was created to protect federal buildings, but their "jurisdiction seems to have expanded to urban or low-income areas. According to Revolt TV, "the unit grew from 81 officers to 105 and had begun patrolling Jackson State University and the University of Mississippi Medical Center." Lastly, the spokesperson of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS), Bailey Martin, confirmed that there were three Capitol Police-involved shootings in six weeks. However, Jaylen Lewis was the first to die from a Capitol Police-involved shooting.

   Jaylen's sister, Alexis Lewis, took to TikTok on Saturday, January 7, 2023, to discuss the incident and bring awareness to what happened.

• Click here for video 1
• Click here for Video 2

   Jaylen's father, William Drake, states: “Well, grief, you know, we lose… we lose a child, you know, who is on, and your child is taken away from you, not knowing the circumstances already in an environment where demographically, we’re losing just thousands and thousands of children,” 

  Jaylen was a father of two young children, who aren't old enough to understand what happened to their father.

• Click here for video 

    Jaylen's mother has questions about her son's murder that remain unanswered.

• Click here for video 

Recent protest on 1/20/2023

• Click her for video 

                                 HOW CAN YOU HELP?

  Help get answers and justice for Jaylen by contacting the following people, officials, agencies, and entities. One tip is to make a group email and send it to each of the following people. It's up to you how you want to do it, just as long as you take action. Thank you so much for your attention and participation.

      Demand justice and demand transparency! What are the names of the involved officers? What is the name of the officer who shot Jaylen Lewis and took him from his family and children? Tell us their employment status! Why is Commissioner Tindell of the MBI covering things up and excessively praising the Capitol police task force on his Facebook page? That's very biased if you ask me! Does Commissioner Sean Tindell only care about being reelected? He seems to care more about protecting his image and the Capitol police task force image than the truth, justice, and human rights. Commissioner Sean Tindell of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety is the official who issued the statement about the DPS conducting a thorough investigation, but in the screenshots below, he's clearly biased:

And last but not least, why is the Black Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, Chokwe Lumumba, silent? Why are the senators, DA, and other elected officials silent? Speak up! Stop turning a blind eye to violence and injustices in your jurisdiction. Why is the governor and other public officials mute and silent about this? Where is the police report? Why is there so much secrecy? Why aren't there press statements from all government entities? Release the bodycam footage! Release the autopsy report. You've already released his body, so why not release the autopsy report? What are you hiding? Why are you protecting the name of Jaylen's killer? If the tables were turned, and officers were shot, you'd release the shooter's name? Thus, the aforementioned; screams cover-up, scandal, and 'the good ole boys.' ' I'll scratch your back, if you scratch mine. I need a favor, and you owe me. It definitely doesn't scream transparency, equality, and justice, which are fundamental human rights.

Lastly, please keep in mind that donations given to Change.org, go to Change.org to promote the petition. The money doesn't go to me or the family. If you would like to donate to the family they have a GoFundMe Click here for the families GoFundMe 

TAKE ACTION AND CONTACT THE BELOW OFFICIALS AND ENTITIES

Governor Tate Reeves

• To contact the Governor’s office, please call 601-359-3150 or email governor@govreeves.ms.gov
• For all media inquiries, please email press@govreeves.ms.gov
• https://twitter.com/tatereeves
• https://www.facebook.com/tatereeves/

Attorney General Lynn Fitch

• Phone:(601) 359-3680
• Email: lynn.fitch@ago.ms.gov and lynnfitchnews@ago.ms.gov
• https://twitter.com/lynnfitchag

District Attorney JODY OWENS

• jowens@co.hinds.ms.us
• (601) 968-6568
• https://twitter.com/owensforda

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba

• Email: clumumba@city.jackson.ms.us
•  (601) 960-1084
• contact@votelumumba.com
• https://twitter.com/chokwealumumba

Executive Assistant to the Mayor Tiffany Murray Office

• Email: tmurray@jacksonms.gov 

Commissioner Sean Tindell of of MBI 

•  Email: stindell@dps.ms.gov 
• https://twitter.com/TindellSean

Senator Bennie Thompson

• (202) 225-5876 and  (601) 946-9003
• Email: benniethompson@mail.house.gov 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BennieGThompson

Senator Robert Jackson 

• Email: rjackson@senate.ms.gov and rjacksonqcdo@yahoo.com
• Phone:(601)359-3232
• https://twitter.com/robertljackso13?lang=en

Bailey Martin: DPS spokesperson

• BMartin@dps.ms.gov 
• 601-987-1218
• https://twitter.com/MissDPS

Jackson Media Office

• Email: media@jacksonms.gov 

Public records Office

• Email: publicrecords@dps.ms.gov

Captain Rusty Clark 

• Email: rclark@dps.ms.gov 
• (601) 933-2600

Brad Edmondson

• Email: braded32@gmail.com 
• BEdmondson@dps.ms.gov 
• (601) 420-6199

MS Medical Examiner Office

• Email: sharonstewart@co.hinds.ms.us
•  601.973.5505
• cjohnson@co.hinds.ms.us
• rianna.davis@co.hinds.ms.us

K Mcgruder: Mississippi Department of Public Safety records

• Email: klmcgruder@dps.ms.gov 

Maury Phillips

• Email: mphillips@mcl.ms.gov

O Easterling, Firearms

• Email: oeasterling@dps.ms.gov

Lt. Col. Charles Haynes, MBI Director

• (601) 987-1573
• chaynes@dps.ms.gov

Major LeCarus Oliver, Director of Criminal Investigations

• (601) 987-1573
• loliver@dps.ms.gov

Major Lamond Wilson, Director of Criminal Intelligence

• (601) 987-1573
• lwilson@dps.ms.gov

Capitol Police Records Division

• 601-359-3125

Capitol Police Investigations Division Johnnie Bowden

• Johnnie.Bowden@dfa.ms.gov

Mississippi Capitol Police

• 501 North West Street, Jackson, MS 39201
• 601-359-3125

Attorney Generals office of Public Integrity:

• Lindsay Green Cranford (601) 359-4289
• lindsay.cranford@ago.ms.gov
• https://twitter.com/lgwatts
• Shirley Summers shirley.summers@ago.ms.gov
• 6013594250

The Mississippi Attorney General, through its Public Integrity Division (PID), is resolutely committed to accountability and transparency to all Mississippians. The PID is focused on ensuring trust in public service. It primarily investigates and prosecutes public corruption and white-collar crime, including investigations and review of officer involved shootings, allegations of improper uses of force, abuse of power, and other misconduct of public officials.

click here for: Public Integrity complaint form

Department of Justice Darren LaMarca

• Jackson: (601) 965-4480
• darren.lamarca@usdoj.gov

 

Lastly, sign and share this petition. 

Follow TWITTER PAGE @Justice4Jaylen

                 INTERVIEWS WITH THE FAMILY AND MORE