Police: Ex-Jackson 5 drummer slain

Johnny Jackson, a former drummer for the Jackson 5, was found stabbed to death at a house in Gary, Ind., police said this afternoon. Around 11:23 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to an emergency call from the home, in the 2600 block of Connecticut Street, and found Johnny Jackson unconscious with a stab wound to his chest, Gary police Cmdr. Jack Arnold said. The victim, 54, of the 300 block of Grant Street in Gary, was pronounced dead at 12:20 a.m. at the scene today by the Lake County, Ind., coroner's office. A witness who lives upstairs in the home heard a disturbance coming from downstairs between Jackson and a female acquaintance of Jackson's, Arnold said. The witness went downstairs to see what was going on and found Jackson lying in the first-floor living room area before calling 911. No one was in custody this afternoon and detectives were conducting a homicide investigation, according to Arnold. A description of the female acquaintance was unavailable, and Arnold did not know how the two knew each other. Arnold said police believe Johnny Jackson was a first cousin of Michael Jackson. The Jackson 5 lived in Gary before becoming pop music stars in the 1960s. Source: Jeremy Gorner Tribune staff reporter Published March 2, 2006, 4:39 PM CST