Civil Complaint Filed for Police Shooting Death of Jakarta Jackson in Rock Island, Illinois

“This officer did not behave reasonably and is a product of the department that employs him”

CHICAGO (June 11, 2025) –   Jakarta Jackson, like many Black residents of Rock Island, Illinois, was painfully aware that encounters with police can wrongly end in injury or death. On January 5, 2025, that reality played out for Jakarta as well. On that day Jakarta died during a traffic stop, unarmed and with his young daughter and other people in the car, at the hands of an officer who was never threatened by Jakarta in any way - yet the officer used verbally abusive and aggressive language and escalated the encounter with physical force that the situation did not require.

The law firms of Romanucci & Blandin and Ben Crump Law together announce the filing of a civil lawsuit to hold Rock Island Police Department, its Chief and the officer involved accountable for the loss of Jakarta Jackson’s life and the trauma to the two young children involved as well as another adult passenger in the car.

The City of Rock Island knows it has a policing problem. The lawsuit details years of Rock Island Police repeatedly escalating encounters with civilians – many of whom are Black – by using excessive force in what should be non-violent resolutions.  During a town hall meeting following Jakarta Jackson’s death, Rock Island Police Chief Tim McCloud admitted that Rock Island did not have experienced officers to “rein in” newer police officers and that is the “biggest problem that they are having.” In short, the civil complaint states the City’s policies, practices and policing customs directly caused Officer Taylor’s Constitutional violations of Jakarta’s rights.

Examples of other cases involving Rock Island Police's excessive force against Black civilians include:

-January 14, 2013: Derrell Dickerson, a double leg and arm amputee, filed a lawsuit against Rock Island Police for using excessive and unreasonable force during an arrest for a misdemeanor in 2011. The case was settled, and the matter was dismissed.

-February 15, 2015: Arilyn Powell filed a lawsuit against Rock Island Police for using unreasonable force to tackle her and pepper spray her when she was handcuffed in 2013. The City settled this matter.

-December 1, 2020: Anthony Gay filed a lawsuit against Rock Island Police for Fourth Amendment violations that occurred in May 2020, which included excessive force when Gay was handcuffed, forced to the ground and kneed in the face. The City settled that matter.

February 12, 2025: Dustin Hook was outside working on his minibike. At that time, several RIPD officers approached him with guns drawn. Mr. Hook put his hands up immediately to comply, at which time RIPD officers tackled him. RIP officers then kicked, punched, and kneed Mr. Hook’s back. This turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

-March 28, 2025: Dyrell McCoy had his tibia and fibula bones broken by Rock Island Police resulting in a metal rod, plates and screws having to be surgically inserted into Mr. McCoy’s leg after officers came to a domestic disturbance call at Mr. McCoy’s own residence that was placed by McCoy.

Jackson Case Background

On January 5^th, Rock Island Police Officer Brett Taylor pulled over 21-year-old Jakarta, possibly for driving a car with tinted windows darker than a local ordinance allowed, a petty offense. Jakarta was unarmed and with his young daughter, his young nephew and three other adults as passengers in the car.  Jakarta parked his car and got out of his car when Officer Taylor then parked behind Jakarta’s car with his light activated. Officer Taylor followed Jakarta, used profanity, and threatened to shoot Jakarta – who was not threatening the Officer’s safety in any way. Jakarta returned to the car, where Officer Taylor used his police baton to shatter the driver’s side window. The children in the car screamed in fear, but the officer did not relent.  Officer Taylor then grabbed Jakarta by his clothing while Jakarta’s hands were up and Jakarta repeatedly pleaded, “What did I do? What did I do?” Officer Taylor replied again with profanity and threats to shoot Jakarta. The car traveled a short distance but then stopped. Officer Taylor fired his weapon at least five times into the stopped car, striking Jakarta and causing him to suffer and die. After the incident, the police reported that they located “nothing of note” in the car. According to the State’s Attorney report on the incident, there was no weapon of any kind found in the car, either.

At no point did Jakarta make verbal threats of harm towards Officer Taylor or anyone else.

At no point did Jakarta reach for his waistband or make movements inside the vehicle to suggest he may have a weapon.

At no point did Mr. Jackson grab a weapon, much less threaten an officer with one or pose a threat of bodily harm or death to any officer or anyone else.

Jakarta Jackson was a victim of the Rock Island Police Department’s failure to properly train, supervise, discipline, monitor, and control its police officers.

Lawsuit Details

The lawsuit was filed June 10, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Defendants in the complaint include the City of Rock Island, Illinois, Rock Island Police Chief Timothy McCloud, and Rock Island Police Officer Brett Taylor.

Plaintiffs are Yanessa Martin as Administrator of the Estate of Jakarta Jackson and Guardian of their minor child, Lucia Jackson, as Guardian of a minor child who was in the car when Jakarta was killed, and Ezekiel Jackson, Jakarta’s brother, who was in the car when Jakarta was killed. The plaintiffs are represented by the Chicago-based national trial law firm Romanucci & Blandin, LLC’s Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci and Senior Attorneys Maura D. White and Stephen H. Weil, along with co-counsel Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump of Ben Crump Law. 

Claims in the lawsuit include: Excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment; two counts of willful and wanton conduct, wrongful death; respondeat superior; one count intentional infliction of emotional distress for Ezekiel and the two young children, and municipal liability. The complaint demands a jury trial.

“The officer who stole Jakarta Jackson’s life did not act reasonably and his actions reflect the culture of the department that employs him. He behaved the way his department allowed him to behave. Time and again, we see this pattern: excessive force used against people of color who are simply trying to survive encounters with police. Jakarta never posed a threat. This traffic stop never should have happened and it certainly should not have ended with the death of a young father,” said Attorney Ben Crump of Ben Crump Law,” said Attorney Ben Crump of Ben Crump Law.

“The City of Rock Island Police Department is known in the community for being chronically unreasonable with Black and brown citizens. The conduct used on Jakarta Jackson was excessive, reckless, and directly resulted in unnecessary death, suffering, and trauma. The City has had a deep and distressing problem for years with its aggressive police – and they know it. The City of Rock Island, Officer Taylor and the Chief need to be held fully accountable for what happened to Jakarta,” said Attorney Antonio M. Romanucci of Romanucci & Blandin.

“In life before Jakarta died, we were very much inseparable, life isn't always easy, but we were always there for each other and for our daughter. He was a great father, did anything for his little girl. He always thought about her and put her first before anything. We went to the trampoline park just a day or before he died, and he was jumping and playing with her while all the other dads were just sitting on the side. That's the kind of person he was. The day Jakarta died was completely devastating, I saw it on someone's social media first and knew my daughter was inside the car too, and I had no idea what happened to them.  I learned Jakarta was shot and it look a while for me to confirm that he died. It's been so painful trying to explain to our daughter that she can't see her dad again, she can't ever talk with him again. We are all still adjusting. So many things are different. Our daughter talks about her dad every day and we have to keep going. We have to hold Rock Island Police accountable for what they did to Jakarta and what they did to our daughter,” said Yanessa Martin, plaintiff.

About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC

Romanucci & Blandin is a Chicago-based national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence, abuse and wrongful death. For 25 years, we have secured more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for our clients - many for millions of dollars and others record-setting awards.  Our experience ranges from mass shootings, civil rights and police misconduct to medical malpractice, sexual abuse, motor vehicle accidents or workplace injury cases involving individual or institutional negligence. Romanucci & Blandin is a valuable legal resource to individuals and groups of people who have been injured by others’ wrongdoing. Referring attorneys and clients say several factors differentiate our firm: Our record of success, depth of experience, talented and dedicated legal team, tireless preparation and strategic use of communications to fight for the rights of those whose lives have been changed forever. We are different from other personal injury firms in that our work does not stop when a verdict or settlement is secured.  We are often inspired by our clients’ experiences and commit resources to create change in our communities. For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit www.rblaw.net or call (312) 458-1000.

About Ben Crump Law

Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.