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On Thursday, Arkela Lewis, the mother of 25-year-old Jaylen Lewis who lost his life, to police gunfire spoke of the incident at New Jerusalem Church, calling for answers and accountability.
“I feel like he was targeted. I do. I really do,” Arkela said. “This has to stop. You ended my baby’s life. You made the decision to end my baby’s life at 25 years of age.”
Lewis says she still hasn’t heard anything from the agency about what led to this tragic incident, and knows even less .
“He was out riding, I don’t know why he left but I thought it was ok for anybody to go out driving whenever they wanted to. That’s all I know about is him out driving.”
Alexis Lewis, his sister, and Jaylen’s friend reignited public interest in the case when they recounted the events of the tragic night in a TikTok video posted on Saturday.
“In my opinion, the state capitol police are moving like a gang. That’s what their strategy and technique [is] like. They only have targeted Black people so far. I don’t know how the citizens of Jackson, Mississippi are supposed to feel like they are protecting us when all they have truly done is harm Black people,” added Alexis about the force that was created in 2021.
She also noted that police released her brother’s car to Arkela Lewis, her mother, two weeks after the shooting with no visible damage, aside from Jaylen’s blood in the interior.
A follow-up video was added to their account regarding the lack of transparency in the case.
REVOLT reports Dewayne Pickett, the Pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, says he spoke with a lady who was in the car with Lewis during the incident. He says they both had no indication that the vehicle following them was a cop cruiser.
“They didn’t know who it was because there were no blue lights, no identification. So, he actually called one of his friends because he didn’t know if someone was out to get him, or who it was,” he said.
Arkela said she was not provided with the police incident report. “We are just waiting for answers,” she shared. The grieving mother said while the task force was originally organized to protect federal buildings, it seems as though they have expanded “jurisdiction to the more urban areas, the low-income areas.”
Her assumption was confirmed by the Clarion Ledger, which reported the unit grew from 81 officers to 105, and they also patrol areas surrounding Jackson State University and the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
The Black Wall Street Times has filed an open records request with the Mississippi Capitol Police. This is a developing story.