Deadly Mesquite DWI crash suspect was 'carefree and unfased,' affidavit says
Deadly Mesquite DWI crash suspect was 'carefree'
The man accused of killing two people in a crash on U.S. Highway 80 in Mesquite earlier this week failed a field sobriety test and showed no concern about the victims, according to police documents.
Kevin Jackson (Mesquite PD)
MESQUITE, Texas - The man accused of killing two people in a crash on U.S. Highway 80 in Mesquite earlier this week failed a field sobriety test and showed no concern about the victims, according to police documents.
Mesquite Fatal Crash
The backstory:
The deadly, three-vehicle crash happened on Tuesday evening on eastbound Hwy. 80 between Gallaway Avenue and Belt Line Road.
Police said the drivers of an Audi SUV, a Toyota RAV4, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle collided.
The drivers of the Toyota and the motorcycle died at the scene. They were identified as 64-year-old Mark Bryant of Dallas and 61-year-old Brian Robinson of Mesquite.
The driver of the Audi, 46-year-old Kevin Jackson of Forney, was arrested on two counts of intoxication manslaughter.
Intoxication Manslaughter
What we know:
According to Jackson’s arrest warrant affidavit, multiple witnesses told police that the Audi appeared to be speeding and driving erratically before causing the crash.
"Officer Ingram briefly spoke with 3 witnesses on scene who said that the driver of the Audi was driving eastbound at speeds of 80 – 90 mph, tailgating other vehicles, and weaving in and out of traffic. The witnesses said that they couldn’t tell, but it looked like the black Audi struck the back of the blue Toyota RAV4, causing it to lose control and nip over the wall into oncoming traffic on westbound U.S. Hwy. 80. The blue RAV 4 flipped over the wall and made contact with the motorcycle that was traveling westbound at the time," the document states.
2 dead in Mesquite 3-vehicle crash, 1 arrested for DWI, police say
Two people are dead, and a third person has been arrested after a three-vehicle crash that happened in Mesquite around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Officers found Jackson sitting on the median wall near his Audi and interviewed him about what happened.
They reported his eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his breath smelled like alcohol.
Jackson initially told police he tried to go around a slower vehicle but ended up hitting another vehicle that slowed down just as he was changing lanes.
"During this time as Officer Carlson spoke with Jackson, he appeared carefree and unfased. He did not appear to be aware of the major crash on the other side of the highway despite there being many emergency vehicles, backed up traffic, people crying and whaling, and lots of officers and EMS personnel running around," the affidavit states.
Jackson told officers he’d only had two glasses of wine about two hours before driving.
He was taken into custody after failing multiple parts of a field sobriety test.
Later, as he was being questioned at the police station, Jackson denied being involved in the fatal crash, claiming it had already occurred on the westbound side of the highway by the time he crashed.
"He stated he did not kill anyone. Officer Carlson advised there were several witnesses that placed him as the suspect driver, and he continued to deny it. The interview was then completed, and Jackson was placed in the jail cell," the affidavit states.
What they're saying:
JJ Tarno is a witness replaying those terrifying moments on Highway 80, saying Jackson was driving at speeds of 80 to 90 miles per hour.
"It was just the most erratic, reckless driving i'd ever seen. It scared me. That's why i remembered what car it was. When it passed by, I was like it could've run me off the road. It was that bad," said Tarno.
What we don't know:
The affidavit states Jackson’s blood was legally drawn after he was arrested. The results of that test have not yet been released.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Mesquite Police Department and Kevin Jackson's arrest warrant affidavit.