Answers sought in man's death

About Matthew Jackson's death, Patrick Jackson says, “The answers we are getting are misleading.” About Matthew Jackson's death, Patrick Jackson says, “The answers we are getting are misleading.” Photo: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Answers sought in man's death 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The family of a man who was shot and killed over the weekend by an off-duty Bexar County sheriff's deputy said Tuesday they still have no answers as to how or why the altercation between Matthew Jackson and the deputy turned fatal.

Jackson's older brother, Patrick, said the family has asked for an attorney's help to get answers about the shooting early Saturday morning near Loop 1604 and Lookout Road.

“We aren't getting answers,” Patrick Jackson said. “And the answers we are getting are misleading.”

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office's investigation is ongoing, and few details of the shooting have been released. The off-duty deputy has been identified as Anthony Thomas, a 16-year member of the sheriff's office who currently works in court security.

The sheriff's office has said Thomas was leaving his security guard job just after 5 a.m. when he and Jackson may have been involved in a minor traffic accident. But it has not released details about what led to the shooting or why Thomas fired his gun. No weapon was found on Jackson, officials said.

Jackson's family described him as “very kind-hearted” and “not a violent person.” They said Jackson's focus was his son and family.

“His biggest fear in life was to not be a good dad,” Patrick Jackson said, referring to his brother's 21/2-year-old son. Matthew Jackson wouldn't have taken any risks because he was a father, his brother said.

“When you see a cop in uniform, you're not going to be an aggressor,” he said. “If you see a gun pointed at you, you're not going to be an aggressor.”

Officials have not said if the off-duty deputy was in uniform.

Jackson worked at the 20nine Restaurant and Wine Bar in the Quarry Market. His family said he had gone to a friend's house to discuss an upcoming business opportunity after leaving work at 2 a.m. Saturday. He left the friend's house at 4 a.m., according to his brother.

When Matthew Jackson didn't get home, his wife began calling around looking for him. Eventually, she went searching for him. According to Patrick Jackson, she passed his car and saw a leg hanging out of it. Patrick Jackson said he also made it to the site of the shooting. By the time he arrived, the body had been covered by a tarp.

The sheriff's office has not said where the men were when the shooting occurred.

More Information Bexar County names deputy involved in fatal shooting

Patrick Jackson said his brother didn't own a weapon. He said he isn't confident that investigators are looking in the right direction. At the scene, he said a deputy told him, “Well, we're probably going to find a weapon in there,” referring to his brother's car.

“They weren't appearing to help us,” he said. “They were chasing in the wrong direction.”

Thomas is on administrative leave during the investigation, as is standard in an officer-involved shooting.

When asked what the family would like to say, Tim Maloney, the attorney for the family said, “Tell the sheriff to do the right thing.”

“And the (district attorney),” added a family member, his head slowly shaking.