By Jennifer Lifsey, Atlanta News First

TUCKER, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — One person is dead after they were hit by a vehicle early Friday morning in DeKalb County.

According to DeKalb Dispatch, police responded to the crash around 3:12 a.m. at Brockett Road and Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker. When they arrived, they found one person dead at the scene.

Police had a portion of Lawrenceville Highway blocked off near the intersection of Brockett Road and Moon Street to investigate. All roads are back open.

The crash remains under investigation.

In other public safety news:

— A dinosaur exhibition linked to the Jurassic Park movie franchise is reopening its Atlanta location after police say people broke in and caused more than $250,000 in damage.

Jurassic World: The Exhibition at Pullman Yards in southeast Atlanta had to briefly close due to the vandalism incident that took place on May 28, shortly after the public opening.

For the full story, click here.

— In an unusual move, several Clarkston police officers spoke about the state of the department during the public comment period at the June 6 city council meeting.

At that same meeting, council members blocked a discussion to discuss a proposed pay increase for officers, attempting to convince officers with one foot out the door to reconsider their decision to leave the city for other opportunities.

The department is critically understaffed due to low pay, according to Chief Christine Hudson. The officers who spoke concurred. Sgt. Dustin Bulcher said, “Without a pay adjustment, we are not going to get any qualified officers.” Bulcher emphasized that the current staffing problems were not the fault of Chief Christine Hudson but of low pay and lack of support.

For the full story, click here.

— A DeKalb County Grand Jury has indicted a man accused of beating a dog to death back in March.

Police allege that Mekhi Jackson, 21, is the man seen on a video kicking, punching and throwing the dog. The video sparked widespread outrage.

A DeKalb County Grand Jury indicted Jackson on three charges of felony aggravated cruelty to animals and one count of tampering with evidence, a press release from the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office says.

For the full story, click here.

— A new contractor began providing healthcare to DeKalb Jail inmates on June 1, replacing the contractor that was in charge in 2022 when the DeKalb County Jail had the most inmate deaths in a decade.

But that new contractor, Armor Health, has faced litigation, investigations, and in one case a criminal conviction over deaths that have occurred in the numerous facilities where the company has a contract, Decaturish has learned.

An Armor Health spokesperson said the company does not comment on pending litigation and the company did not directly respond when asked about the 2022 criminal conviction in Wisconsin. But the company, which has contracts at 52 facilities in 10 states, defended its record and its ability to provide adequate healthcare to DeKalb County Jail inmates.

For the full story, click here.

Decaturish media partner Atlanta News First provided the story regarding the pedestrian death in Tucker. Other items in this article are based on original Decaturish reporting. Sara Amis contributed reporting to this article. 

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