The family of a former Alabama A&M and University of Alabama assistant basketball coach, who had been reported missing on Monday in Georgia, has confirmed that he was tragically found shot to death on Wednesday near Atlanta.
Sammy Jackson, a former star basketball player, had a successful career both in high school and college. He played for Headland High School near Dothan and later earned recognition as an all-conference player while representing the University of Montevallo in the early 1980s.
After honing his coaching skills for ten years as an assistant at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Jackson took on the role of head coach at Fort Valley State University in Georgia from 2011 to 2018.
Jackson served as the head coach of Savannah State University’s basketball team from 1999-2000, in addition to his assistant roles at various locations throughout the country. He also worked as an assistant coach at Alabama from 2002-2003.
According to Macon Fox and ABC affiliate WGXA, Jackson’s car was discovered deserted in a parking spot near an apartment complex in Bonaire, Georgia, after his wife filed a missing person report.
Desmond Jackson, the son of Sammy Jackson, reached out to WGXA to share the devastating news that his father was discovered deceased in Atlanta on Wednesday.
During their investigation, deputies discovered that Sammy Jackson’s vehicle was unlocked. They observed that the front area of the vehicle had various items scattered across the seat and floor. Additionally, they found Jackson’s ID tag, which displayed his name and picture.
Jill Jackson, the wife of Jackson, mentioned that it was uncommon for her husband’s vehicle to be untidy.
According to her, she had a conversation with her husband on Sunday night, just before he began his shift as an Uber Eats driver.
Jill Jackson didn’t hear from her husband again until 2:15 a.m. on Tuesday when he sent her a text, asking, “Do you know my social security number?”
According to WGXA, she made several attempts to call her husband, but he did not answer his phone.
After BMW provided Jill Jackson with the location of her husband’s car, she immediately contacted the authorities.
The Peach County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office is currently handling the investigation into the missing persons report, as stated by the Houston County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.
I was unable to immediately reach the Peach County sheriff despite my efforts.
Sammy Jackson’s sister, Barbara Jackson, took to social media to share a post indicating that her brother had been shot and killed.
“It’s said that we are not suppose to GOD…But I still wanna ask why..Our Hearts are so Heavy….Why didn’t u just take the car & go why did u have to shoot & kill him he would have given you that car because material things never mattered to him,” she wrote.
She said her brother “had a Heart of GOLD & would have helped anybody in the world….Our love 1 is gone & we are not ready to except it..please pray for our family (GA & AL) cause this is going to be a hard 1…..We wanna thank each & everyone that shared all of our post trust me y’all showed out & did y’all part & we are 4ever grateful & can’t thank y’all enough Rest Easy Big Brother.”