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Bond denied for former GSP trooper charged with fatally shooting man who failed to stop

Almost two weeks after a bond hearing for the Ex-Georgia State Trooper, Judge denies bond for murder of Julian Lewis.

SCREVEN COUNTY, Ga. — An order denying the bond of Ex-Georgia Trooper Jacob Thompson was issued Friday by Chief Judge F. Gates Peed.

According to a release from Statesboro Civil Rights Attorney Francys Johnson, the 27-year-old was denied bond on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault in the murder of Julian Lewis.

Credit: Georgia Dept of Public Safety
Courtesy of the Georgia Department of Public Safety

THE STORY

The GBI arrested and charged a Georgia State Patrol trooper with murder after the fatal shooting of Julian Lewis.

According to a news release, investigators arrested 27-year-old Gordon Thompson on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault.

The charges are a result of a shooting the GBI was called by GSP to investigate on Aug 7.

The GBI says Thompson tried to stop a Nissan Sentra for a traffic offense on Stoney Pond Road in Screven County, which is located about half an hour north of Statesboro.

The driver, identified as 60-year-old Julian Lewis, did not stop and a chase began. The chase ended when Thompson initiated a PIT maneuver and the car came to rest in a ditch.

The GBI says Thompson then fired a round at Lewis, and he died at the scene.

Following his arrest on Aug. 14, the Georgia Department of Safety issued the following statement:

“The Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) terminated Jacob G. Thompson today, Aug. 14, 2020, due to his “negligence or inefficiency in performing assigned duties; or commission of a felony.” Thompson was hired on July 28, 2013.

As stated in a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) press release, former Trooper Thompson was arrested on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault in Screven County relating to an officer involved shooting which occurred on August 7, 2020. The GBI investigation is active and ongoing.

In addition to an internal Office of Professional Standards investigation, DPS utilizes the GBI to independently investigate incidents of an officer involved shooting and relies on their unbiased findings in those cases.”

Thompson is being held at the Screven County Jail.

RELATED: GSP trooper charged with murder, fired after fatally shooting man

Credit: New Georgia Project

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