In February, NewsOne covered the tragic story of Norcross, Ga., football star and junior high valedictorian Nicholas Jackson II. In what seemed at the time a senseless, haphazard incident, Jackson II was mowed down with bullets, after seven men charged in to his home while he was playing PlayStation and fatally shot him in the heart. Now investigators have released evidence that shows that Jackson II may have been killed because his father, Nicholas Jackson Sr., secretly facilitated a Mexican drug ring, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
RELATED: Teen Football Star Killed In Home Invasion
Watch Jackson II’s violent demise here:
Immediately after police began investigating the murder of Jackson II, they reportedly realized that very little about the botched robbery made sense: the Jacksons reside in a well-to-do community, the suspects apprehended for the murder all had contrasting accounts of both motivations and events, and the money missing that Jackson Sr. reported ($600) didn’t match the amount of money found in the suspects’ minivan ($20,000).
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:
The suspects in the killing gave conflicting accounts about why they were in the area near the home in the 300 block of Autry Street. Authorities found $20,000 in cash in the men’s van minutes after the shooting, but Jackson’s father said only $600 was missing from the house. No one in the Jackson family had known legal troubles. Their house was tucked away on a quiet, tree-canopied street that had no history of violent crime.
This week, though, federal authorities submitted damaging evidence on Jackson Sr.: The highly regarded Father of two was one of 14 men who were indicted in a Mexican drug ring last month, where federal agents “seized about $1.6 million worth of cocaine, crystal methamphetamine and marijuana.”
According to the U.S. Attorney, Jackson Sr. is thought to have acted as a “local courier” who helped distribute drugs in the area.
Local police were reportedly tipped off to Jackson Sr.’s alleged activities, when two of the suspects said that they invaded Jackson Sr.’s home because they believed he had drugs and money at the residence.
Still, neighbors insist that Jackson Sr. was an active parent in the neighborhood and at Jackson II’s school, “He was a very nice gentleman,” said teacher Dorine Perry, who was watching after a handful of kids at a park about a block away from the Jacksons’ home. “He did a lot of things for the school.”
Is this a case of chickens coming home to roost? Is the Father indirectly responsible for his son’s untimely death?
This story was originally reported by all media outlets as yet another random death that involved an innocent youth who was brimming with promise. If the allegations against the Father are true, though, this is a prime example of how parents’ actions and dealings will almost always affect their loved ones.
What a shame.
