Family demands answers week after deadly police-involved shooting in Delaware

NEW CASTLE, Delaware (WPVI) -- It has been nearly a week since the police-involved shooting that ended with the death of 28-year-old Tremaine Jackson.

And members of his family say that what they consider a lack of transparency by Delaware State Police has them questioning their description of what happened last Thursday.

Island Clark, the mother of Jackson's three children, says she wants answers.

"I just want justice for him," she says, "and I just want answers as to why."

This past Thursday morning, Jackson was allegedly stealing a variety of items from the Lowe's in Minquadale.

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The police were called and arrived quickly enough to confront the suspect as he tried to exit the store.

Investigators say he then fled to a vehicle behind the store and collided with an unmarked Delaware State Police vehicle.

Authorities say Jackson was shot after he resisted arrest and continued trying to maneuver the vehicle in a manner that "placed the officers in imminent danger."

But the Delaware NAACP and a family attorney say they will believe that narrative only after all available images of the incident are released.

Coby Owens of the Delaware NAACP says, "We stand here and demand that any body-worn camera footage and any video be released unedited to the family and to the attorneys."

Family attorney Emeka Igwe says, "We are not here to announce a lawsuit, but to ask for transparency from the state police. The state police gave us a statement. They said a lot, but he didn't say much."

We reached out to Delaware State Police who sent us a statement saying they cannot comment further until the investigation is complete.

The statement also said that the officers involved were not equipped with body cameras.

"Some units, such as the special operations response team have not used body-worn cameras to date, as we are working through the challenges of securing the cameras to their specialized uniforms," said a portion of the statement.

Police also describe Jackson as a "known fugitive" linked to several crimes over the past couple of years.

Meanwhile, the Delaware NAACP is calling on the state attorney general and the United States attorney general to launch a pattern-or-practice investigation into Delaware State Police's response to cases involving people of color.