🔫 Gunman feared for his life after fatal shooting

Convicted for the manslaughter of retired prison officer Harry Elliott, Justin Kyle Jackson has stated that he was in fear for his life following the fatal shooting. Jackson, who is expected to be sentenced on Friday, told police that he had armed himself with a different gun than the one used in Elliott's killing due to receiving threats. Caine Thomas, who Jackson alleges drove him and co-convict Eric Soto to the scene of the crime, was murdered a day before Jackson's arrest for possession of the second firearm. Jackson has also expressed to a social worker his belief that he would have been killed had he not turned himself in. 🚔

While Jackson was evading police following Elliott's killing, officers pursued him in West Bay, leading to a car chase. Jackson lost control of the vehicle and fled on foot, leaving behind a 9mm Taurus semi-automatic handgun. He later surrendered and admitted to owning the gun. Soto was initially charged with its possession but was acquitted after Jackson confessed that the gun was his and that Soto was unaware of its presence in the car. Jackson's attorney, Sallie Bennet-Jenkins KC, has argued against adding a mandatory minimum of seven years to Jackson's sentence for the manslaughter conviction, calling it unjust and disproportionate. The judge has the discretion to run the sentence for illegal gun possession concurrently or consecutively, considering the principle of totality and the potential for a disproportionately long sentence. ⚖️