Man Who Shot Providence Police Officer and Killed Park Ranger Granted Parole
GoLocalProv News Team
Man Who Shot Providence Police Officer and Killed Park Ranger Granted Parole
Jackson had been sentenced to prison for 100 years in 1997.
"I can remember not only how [Abrahamson's] family was devastated, but how the entire Parks Department and workforce was devastated," former Parks Department Director Bob McMahon told GoLocal. "[Bill] was a fellow worker and well-liked by everybody. We ran across each other quite a bit."
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Prior to this week's Rhode Island Parole Board hearing, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office objected to Jackson's request for parole — once again.
"To release Mr. Jackson now would depreciate the seriousness of his violent criminal misconduct, which resulted in the death of one [individual] and the serious and debilitating injury to another, and promote disrespect for the law," wrote Special Assistant Attorney General Stephen Dambruch to the board back in 2021, when Jackon's request at that time was denied. "Therefore, I strongly urge the members of the Board to reject his application for parole."
This time around, Dambruch referenced his prior appeals.
“In support of the Attorney General’s continuing objection to Mr. Jackson’s release on parole, I incorporate by reference the contents of the letter I sent to you [in 2021],” wrote Dambruch on June 20, 2024, before Jackon's latest — and successful — appeal.
When asked if Providence Police verbally or in written form objected to Jackson's parole request, Providence Police spokesperson Lindsay Lague provided the following.
"There was no one from the Providence Police Department present at the hearing," said Lague. "Per their policy, all inquiries related to the parole are board are asked to be submitted to them directly."
Rhode Island Parole Board Chair Laura Pisaturo confirmed there was no written or verbal communication from the Police Department.
Chief Oscar Perez did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Revisiting Details of Crime
At Jackson’s trial in 1997, the Providence Journal reported the following from the court proceedings. (GoLocalProv was founded in 2010):
Patrolman Brian S. Quirk had just broken up a fight on Broad Street when he got called to check on two youths possibly armed with guns walking through Roger Williams Park about 12:40 a.m. on Oct. 12, 1995.
Park Ranger William R. Abrahamson had radioed police that he had spotted the youths by Polo Lake, near the entrance to the Roger Williams Park Zoo, just as Quirk arrived in his cruiser with its blue and red lights flashing.
Quirk testified in court yesterday that he yanked out his pistol and ordered the youths to stop, drop to their knees and raise their hands in the air. They ignored him and kept walking.
Quirk said he grabbed a canvas backpack off the shoulder of one of them, a young man later identified as Demetrius Jackson, of Providence. Inside, Quirk said, he could feel the distinctive outline of a shotgun
He repeatedly radioed for other officers to help him as he ordered the two youths back to the cruiser at gunpoint, with Abrahamson behind him.
But before help could arrive, Jackson allegedly pulled a .38 caliber handgun out of his waistband and began firing. Two bullets struck Quirk - one in each arm. Another bullet struck Abrahamson in the abdomen.
Abrahamson died six days later.
Pain seared through the left elbow first, then the right arm. "At this point," Quirk recalled. "I could no longer move either of my arms. They felt like they were nailed to the ground."
"I remember him moving toward the lake, pointing the gun in my direction," Quirk continued. "I remember hearing rapid clicking."
Jackson was given a 100-year prison sentence
In 2000, Superior Judge Robert Krause rejected Jackson’s request for leniency.
“Krause lambasted Jackson's stated regret for the shootings as ‘hollow.’ And the judge said the court needed to show potential shooters what would happen if they decide to take up arms,” reported the Journal. “‘The unlawful possession and violent misuse of guns will not be tolerated,’ Krause wrote, in a five-page decision.”
2024 Appeal
“Three members of the parole board considered the case of Demetrius Jackson [on Wednesday],” Rhode Island Parole Board Chair Pisaturo told GoLocal in an email on Wednesday. “Board members unanimously found that Mr. Jackson met statutory parole release criteria and voted (unanimously) to grant parole for release in December 2024.”
According to Rhode Island General Law, the parole board meets five times a month and members are scheduled to sit on panels of three when considering cases.
“All parole release plans are subject to approval by the Department of Corrections and/or Interstate Compact (e.g. if they are out of state). This was Mr. Jackson’s fourth appearance before the parole board since the start of his sentence in October 1995. He was 18 years old at the time and he will have served over 29 years in prison as of his intended parole release date,” said Pisaturo.
According to the parol board’s fact sheet, the board may, by majority vote, issue a parole permit after an eligible person has served at least 1/3 of their sentence.
“The Attorney General’s Office submitted a letter of objection to parole. Mr. Jackson was represented by counsel, Noah Kilroy and Andres Idarraga,” said Pisaturo. “Formal, written minutes will be prepared by the parole board office in the ordinary course to reflect the vote and decision and will be posted to the Secretary of State Open Meetings website.”
McMahon said he was disheartened at the board's decision.
"On some things like this, I believe in redemption, when someone commits a crime, but this particular crime, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around if there’s any redemptive value here," said McMahon. "He was carrying those guns. He was intending to shoot somebody. It wasn’t like it was an accidental shooting or anything."
"I’m familiar with other attempts by him to get on parole. I’ve never really heard him express regret or how sorry he was. The last time I heard he tried to get parole, he was trying to sell the notion that it was accidental, and that’s hard to swallow," said McMahon. "The thing that I thought of when (I heard about the parole), the thing I couldn't get out of my head was Bill's wife and his kids as well, and that he will be back out on the streets."