ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Atlanta police are treating the death of a former head basketball coach at two Georgia universities as a homicide after his body was found in the city shortly after his family reported him missing.
The body of Sammy Jackson, a former men’s coach at Fort Valley State University and Savannah State University, was found Wednesday in a wooded area in northwest Atlanta with apparent gunshot wounds, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
Jackson’s family reported him missing to the Peach County sheriff’s office in central Georgia. His wife told investigators she last heard from him late last Sunday when he was about to start working for a food delivery service, according to an incident report. Atlanta police said Jackson was a rideshare driver.
Authorities found his abandoned car Monday in Houston County, which is roughly 110 miles ) south of Atlanta.
The Atlanta Police Department said they have identified 30-year-old Iquane Brown as a person of interest after a man was found shot and killed in the area of 2994 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway NW.
Police said Brown ordered a rideshare in Houston County on Wednesday, the same day the victim was found.
The person of interest is currently in custody in the Houston County Jail on an unrelated robbery charge from Warner Robins.
Jackson was head men’s basketball coach at Fort Valley State from 2011-2018 and Savannah State from 1999-2000. He also held assistant roles at the University of Alabama, Georgia Southern University, Alabama A&M University and Tennessee State University, according to a 2011 release from Fort Valley State.
Social media posts this week were posted by people who knew Jackson and recalled him as a kind man who helped others.
“I think everybody would like some answers and wants justice for Sammy,” said Kareem Kenney, a former assistant coach under Jackson.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
