The man who police say fired the first bullet in the mass shooting on Philadelphia’s South Street likely should not have been granted a license to legally carry a gun— if a previous arrest had been filed in timely manner, court documents reviewed by the NBC10 Investigators show.
Gregory Jackson, who was one of the three people who died in the shooting the left 11 others wounded, had a permit to carry concealed weapons. But court documents show that Jackson had been arrested by a Pennsylvania State Police trooper in Delaware County in 2020 for illegally possessing a handgun.
“A gun permit would have never been issued to him to begin with,” said legal expert Enrique Latoison.
However, because Jackson’s arrest was not officially filed with the court until just last month, his arrest for illegally possessing a gun wouldn’t have come up in a background search.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
So, when he went to get a gun permit in October 2021 from the Delaware County Sheriff’s office, it was approved. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office confirmed that Jackson’s record came back clean at the time.
Latoison told NBC10 that had the arrest for illegal possession already been in the system, Jackson would have been disqualified from getting a concealed carry permit.
Why state police filed the arrest with the courts nearly a year and-a-half later is unknown.
A state police spokeswoman initially said the trooper filed the complaint “very quickly after the arrest.” The arrest was December 11, 2020, but the court documents show the trooper’s signature dated April 28, 2022.
The state police spokeswoman did not respond to repeated follow-up questions asking why the trooper only signed the paperwork this year.
The court summons was issued May 10, 2022 and received by Jackson, according to court records, on June 1, 2022.
Three days later, Jackson and another man, Rashaan Vereen, were walking down South Street when they came across Micah Towns. Prosecutors say the three exchanged words and Jackson and Vereen attacked Towns.
Jackson pulled out his concealed handgun and fired at Towns, who was also legally carrying a gun and fired back as Jackson and Vereen ran away, according to authorities.
One of Towns’ bullets struck Jackson, killing him.
At the same time as the shootout occurred, police said Quran Garner, a friend of Towns, was walking a half a block away near the intersection of South and American streets. Garner allegedly pulled out his own weapon and fired toward Jackson and Vereen. Garner then turned and aimed at a police officer, investigators said. That officer then returned fire several times, striking Garner.
Meanwhile, prosecutors said Thursday, Quadir Dukes-Hill and Nahjee Whittington also opened fire from down the street where the initial fight took place. Neither Dukes-Hill nor Whittington knew Jackson, Vereen or Towns, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said.
"It does not appear that these groups knew each other. This to me seems to be that Mr. Whittington and Mr. Dukes-Hill, in response to gun shots that were happening down the street, just took out their gun and randomly fired,” Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore said.
Dukes-Hill was charged with murdering 24-year-old Alexis Quinn, while Whittington was charged with murdering 22-year-old Kris Minners. Authorities said Quinn and Minners were both innocent bystanders.
The DA’s Office said Towns will not face charges because he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Jackson.
The incident also wounded 11 people ranging in age from 17 to 69 years old.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
