LITTLE ROCK — Jesse Jackson plans stops in Memphis and Jonesboro on Wednesday to speak on the case of Chavis Carter, the 21-year-old who police say fatally shot himself while handcuffed in the back of a patrol car.
Carter's family and others have questioned the circumstances of the death. Police have said Carter was able to access a handgun missed during two searches, press it to his temple and fire despite having his hands cuffed behind his back. A report from the Arkansas State Crime Lab this week ruled the death a suicide.
Bishop T. Lane Grant, national field director for Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition, said details were still being finalized, but that Jackson would make appearances in Memphis and Jonesboro.
"The family has asked us to intercede," he said.
Carter died July 28 after being arrested during a traffic stop in Jonesboro. The city police department, which is continuing to investigate the death, last week released audio and video interviews with witnesses as well as dashboard footage taken during the stop.
The footage did not show the back of the car where Carter was being held when he died and did not include the moment when the shooting occurred.