In the Nicholtown neighborhood of Greenville, South Carolina, a decorated military veteran and dedicated police officer's life was tragically cut short in the line of duty. Allen Lee Jacobs, a 28-year-old male officer with the Greenville Police Department, was fatally shot on Friday, March 18, 2016. A husband and father of two, with a third child on the way, Jacobs was a respected figure in his community, known for his commitment to service.
He had served on the police force for four and a half years and was a decorated veteran of the Iraq War.
On that fateful afternoon, Officer Jacobs and his partner were on patrol when they attempted to conduct a field interview with a known teenage gang member. The 17-year-old suspect, Deontea Perry Mackey, immediately fled on foot, leading the officers on a chase through a residential area. As Jacobs pursued Mackey into the backyard of a home, the teenager opened fire, striking the officer multiple times. Despite wearing a protective vest, Jacobs sustained fatal injuries and was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where he later died.
The pursuit for Mackey continued as a perimeter was established by other officers. Cornered and surrounded near the Swamp Rabbit Trail, Mackey took his own life before he could be taken into custody. The investigation that followed revealed that the handgun used by Mackey to kill Officer Jacobs had been stolen.
In the aftermath of the murder-suicide, an investigation led to the arrest of another teenager, 17-year-old Tristan Merit. Merit was charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon, as authorities determined he had stolen the gun from his grandfather and given it to Mackey.
