The Atlanta Police Department is investigating the death of a former Georgia HBCU basketball coach who was found shot to death in a wooded area of northwest Atlanta. The body of Samuel Jackson, known affectionately as "Coach," had notable gunshot wounds. Jackson, who previously led teams at Fort Valley State University and Savannah State University, was reported missing by his family to the Peach County sheriff's office earlier this week, following an evening when he was supposed to start his shift as a rideshare driver, as detailed in a report by the Atlanta News First.
Found abandoned in Houston County, about 110 miles from where his body was discovered, was Jackson's car. After an Uber ride was ordered from this same county on the day Jackson was found, the Atlanta Police named 30-year-old Iquane Brown as a person of interest, according to details provided by Fox5 Atlanta. Currently held at the Houston County Jail on an unrelated robbery charge, it remains unclear if Brown will face charges related to Jackson's death.
Sam Jackson's career spanned several important roles, including head coach and assistant at a number of institutions like the University of Alabama, Georgia Southern University, Alabama A&M University, and Tennessee State University. Remembered for his contributions to basketball and the lives he touched, social media has seen an outpouring of tributes, with one former colleague, Kareem Kenney, expressing the shared sentiment for answers and justice, as Atlanta News First reports.
The investigation continues. After suspecting something went awry when her husband didn't return home and received an unusual request for his social security number, Jill Jackson, as "she hadn't heard from him, and it was about 2 in the morning, and she messaged his phone. Don’t you have to work tomorrow?" she questioned, according to Fox5 Atlanta.
