Shooter in Last Call incident in custody
The man who reportedly pulled the trigger in a shooting outside Last Call early Sunday is now in custody. Lawrence police announced that 26-year-old Carlos Jerome Jackson was apprehended in Hopkinsville, Kentucky at the home of some relatives. Enlarge video
The suspect in Sunday's shooting in front of Last Call in downtown Lawrence was arrested Friday night in Hopkinsville, Ky.
According to Lawrence police Capt. David Cobb, Carlos Jerome Jackson, 26, Topeka, was arrested at the home of relatives by Hopkinsville police and agents from the U.S. Marshals Service. He is being held in the Christian County Jail.
Jackson has been accused in a felony arrest warrant with three counts of aggravated battery in the shootings of two Last Call employees and a 15-year-old patron of the private club at 729 N.H.
Cobb said Lawrence police are trying to determine whether Jackson will fight extradition to Lawrence.
"We'll see what we have to do to get him here," he said.
Cobb said Lawrence police, during their investigation of Jackson, determined he had relatives living in Kentucky. Police there watched the relatives' home, then made the arrest Friday night.
Two Topeka women - Sherise Spears, 20, and Sonda M. Washington, 30 - are accused of helping Jackson after the shooting.
Lawrence police said both women were in the getaway car with the gunman. Spears is charged in Douglas County District Court with aiding and abetting an aggravated battery, while Washington faces a charge of aiding a felon.
The shooting - at 3 a.m. Sunday - at Last Call led the private club's owner to say on Thursday that he was closing its doors as a hip-hop music venue. And city officials are exploring the possibility of imposing stricter regulations on entertainment businesses in Lawrence. Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said earlier this week that he also was contemplating action against the owners of the building that houses Last Call.
The private club lost its liquor license late last year, but club owner Dennis Steffes had been operating it since as a bring-your-own-alcohol establishment.
Jackson has a long criminal history. Nine years ago, he was convicted of felony first-degree murder in Shawnee County. The conviction stemmed from the shooting death of 24-year-old Dennis R. Campbell, Topeka. Topeka police said Campbell was shot after a deal involving marijuana turned into an attempted robbery.
Jackson also was convicted of aggravated robbery. He was 17 when he was sentenced to a correctional facility. Because of a law that allowed him to be sentenced as a juvenile and an adult, he was held until he was 23, Shawnee County District Attorney Robert Hecht said. Normally someone convicted in juvenile court is held until age 21.
Jackson also currently has drug charges pending against him in Shawnee County, Hecht said. They include possession of narcotics with intent to sell and not having a drug tax stamp.
Comments
kansasredlegs 5 years, 4 months ago
The City Commission and the Police Department were not working against one another regarding Last Call. In fact, I would submit that it was a coordinated effort not to have police presence at this club for the dubious reason of allowing this club to get out of control. This way the police can complain about the club and the City Commission can take the high ground and do it for the safety of the "entire" community when in fact it is for the safety of the Hobb-Taylor residents.
I would suggest that the Bottleneck turn down those amplifiers after 10 p.m. and certainly don't play music which might attrack people of diverse backgrounds as they can be scary.
We don't need for laws and regulations. Just enforce the ones that are on the books already.
merrill 5 years, 4 months ago
*Commissioners have been asked in a variety of venues if before substantial measures are taken would the situation wait until a serious shooting occurred? Guess taxpaying citizens have their answer. Isn't this how the word irresponsible is defined?
Dennis Steffes is another way to define irresponsible.
Just because patrons are irresponsible does that mean that business owners and local government should be likewise?
*The cost of having police officers called in to quell a disturbance should not be billed to the taxpayers.
*Taking action against property owners is acceptable in this case due to long history.
*Has any commissioner interfered with law enforcement? I am simply amazed at how long this has been allowed to continue.
*Will the entertainment license ordinance have teeth in it?
*Why include those establishments who monitor "their" crowds closely and ask some not to return? It is my contention these establishments do exist.
geekin_topekan 5 years, 4 months ago
Oh God,is our current DA handling this one personally?We can expect a charge of...felon w/gun,at best.(5yrs) Why doesn't he stick to cases that involve harmless winos and mentally ill?They can't make bond,hire an attorney or know they are being railroaded for political brownie points.Remember this at the polls.Felony winos and mental cases look good on paper at an inflicted person's expense but do not a DA make.No sweat off his butt thouigh.Let the tax payers pay for their room and board.Or worse yet,maybe the lobbyists for the new privatized prison sent him a little somethinsomthin for pointless convictions.Gotta keep them prisons FULL to keep the corporate machine well lubricated.Cut inmate services because repeat offenders only spells Mo'MONEY Mo'MONEYMo'MONEY.
booze_buds_03 5 years, 4 months ago
At no point during your rambling incoherent reponse are you anywhere close to a logic, rational thought. I award you no points and may god have mercy on your soul.
geekin_topekan 5 years, 4 months ago
Actually my vast wisdom eluded your pre-coffee mind.I'll allow a few cups and you may try again.
taxman66044 5 years, 4 months ago
What the heck has been going on in Lawrence this past month...Homicide at the Brookwood Mobile Homes, armed robbery w/ attempted murder at the Shell Station, three attempted homicides at Last Call, kidnapping/robbery of a woman at Kohls, carjacking and car chase in downtown, three drive-by shootings (not reported by the LJW), robbery w/ a machete/handgun on 7th Street, and the list goes on and on...
I am not a big fan of tax increases, but I think the City needs to revisit the number of police officers we have on our police force to get our City back to being safe. Hell, I have neighbors who fear going out anymore.
I called the police dept and asked how many police officers we have patrolling our streets on any particular shift and was amazed to learn we have between 9 to 12 officers patrolling the entire City. To me that is unacceptable.. I did a little research and learned the avg. (preferred) officer to citizen ratio was a minimum of 1.6 officers to 1,000 citizens. If we have a population of 88,000, that means we should have a minimum of 14 officers working each and every night. (Overland Park has an officer to citizen ration of 2.37 officers per 1,000 citizens)
If this sounds like a call for more police officers on our streets..you are reading it correctly. Something needs to be done now, not later.
Amandak 5 years, 4 months ago
Although we can't keep criminals from Topeka, Kansas City, etc. from coming to Lawrence, we can damn sure hold them accountable. Rest assured, this piece of work will be delt with severely. If not, we have only ourselves to blame. After all, this mope will likely have a jury trial and citizens of our city will serve. Its up to them to be rational. This is not an issue of race, poverty, being raised in a broken home, and on and on. The issue is this piece of crap squatted in our yard and hurt inncocent people. Back to prison punk! And while were at it, let's get a little tougher on the thugs born and raised in our own little city.
kneejerkreaction 5 years, 4 months ago
So long Mr. Jackson you miserable excuse for a human. This jerk has been bad news for a long time. Prison will make him worse so why let him out, ever?
He'll get out one day and kill someone...else...
merrill 5 years, 4 months ago
More crime Ahhhh yes the hidden costs of growth = more and more expense. Perhaps we're at the point where Lawrence citizens do not want to expend more tax dollars for the sake of growing yet still not getting ahead.
Impact Fees - In order for the city to have orderly growth, developers need to be responsible for a certain amount of the infrastructure. Most builders understand impact fees are for a purpose that improves their development.
"If residential growth paid for itself and was financially positive, we would not be in a budget crunch," Scruggs said. "But with increased numbers of houses you have increased demand on services, and historically the funding of revenues generated by single-family housing does not pay for the services, they require from a municipality."
Sigmund 5 years, 4 months ago
merrill (Anonymous) says: "More crime Ahhhh yes the hidden costs of growth = more and more expense."
Yes merrill we shall seal off the borders immediately and only allow those that you personally approve of to live here. Can you tell us the point in your life when living in a growing and thriving community where people choose to come and make their lives and contributions became such a bad thing in your confused mind?
Does it take much mental effort to ignore the fact that most of this crime has been caused by people who live in KC and Topeka, not Lawrence? Now feel free back to shouting at the kids who walking on your lawn and complaining about those infernal horseless carriages. You are such a twisted angry moron.
Sigmund 5 years, 4 months ago
Forgot to add that during this 'out of control growth' which has led to the recent 'crime wave' there has been virtually no growth in residents according to the last two years censuses.
Sigmund 5 years, 4 months ago
If America is becoming a third world country, Merrill is leading the way!
n8ivjhawk 5 years, 4 months ago
Marion, I've been reading the forums only for a week or two. You seem to start your posts with a personal attack on a fellow poster. You also seem to get upset when it comes back at you. Please don't take this the wrong way, but don't take it so personally. Drop the hate, Mee-go.
Hawksley 5 years, 4 months ago
I doubt it's all Topeka and Kansas City's fault Sigmund. Lawrence is scared too admit,it's got problems. 3 drive-by shooting not reported in the newspaper,must have been Topeka and KC people yeah right.Lawrence we've got a problem and it's only gonna get worse.
gkwhdw 5 years, 4 months ago
Welllllllll! If all the young folk in our fair community would stay at home in their own territory to party and socialize, Lawrence may not be such a bad place. Buttttt! Then if you don't run with a good crowd you aren't gonna be alright anyway. Pick and choose your friends more wisely, there's more thugs arouind Lawrence than is to be seen with the naked eye!
Mike Blur 5 years, 4 months ago
Taxman, if you're going to include KU students in the 88K population of Lawrence, then you must include the KUPD as well. Figuring in the numbers of KUPD on patrol, you'll come to realize that Lawrence has one of the best per capita police-to public ratios of any city in America.
infidel785 5 years, 4 months ago
mike_blur (Mike Blur) says: Taxman, if you're going to include KU students in the 88K population of Lawrence, then you must include the KUPD as well. Figuring in the numbers of KUPD on patrol, you'll come to realize that Lawrence has one of the best per capita police-to public ratios of any city in America.
-----AND don't forget about Mil-Spec! They do such a lovely job. I love their gay little wanna be cars. Does anyone know why they have light bars on their cars? They aren't even allowed to legally use them! Haha
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