As The Rookie speeds toward its eighth season on January 6, 2026, one mysterious death from the Season 4 debut is still stoking curiosity among fans. Remember when the young, naive, and idealistic LAPD Officer Jackson West (Titus Makin Jr.) was abruptly killed off and taken away from the show without so much as a warning sign?
The random act of unspeakable violence felt odd and out of place because it was not pre-planned by the writers, but instead came from Makin’s own sense of moral activism. Four years after the dust settled, more light has been shed on why Makin Jr. felt the need to leave the hit police procedural and how the showrunners honored his wishes. Returning to that fateful day on September 26, 2021, here’s why Jackson West was unceremoniously killed off The Rookie.
Who Is Jackson West in The Rookie?
A main character during The Rookie‘s first three seasons, Jackson West (Makin Jr.) is a young, enthusiastic, and somewhat gullible LAPD Officer who has excelled at following in his father’s footsteps. Jackson’s father, Percy West (Michael Beach), is the head of the LAPD’s Internal Affairs Division and has raised his son to be a morally upstanding community member and devoted law enforcer. Upon graduating from the police academy at the top of his class, Jackson joins the LAPD’s Mid-Wilshire Division, led by the oldest rookie turned training officer, Jonathan Nolan (Nathan Fillion).
Vowing to be the best police officer he can be and live up to the ideal that the badge represents, Jackson West is most concerned with making his father proud and keeping the family law enforcement tradition going. However, in Season 1, Jackson had a falling out with his father after discovering that he deliberately planted evidence to ensure a conviction.
In the first two seasons, Jackson was trained by LAPD Officer Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz), forming a tender personal and professional bond with her as he became disconnected from his father. When Lopez wasn’t available, Jackson trained under Quigley Smitty (Brent Huff), but never forgot how much Lopez meant to his development.
In Season 3, Jackson was trained by the openly racist LAPD Officer Doug Stanton (Brandon Routh), which began to mark on and off-screen trouble for Jackson. After risking his career to confront Stanton for his prejudicial views, Jackson was assisted by Lieutenant Wade Grey (Richard T. Jones) in obtaining enough evidence to have Stanton fired. Yet, when Stanton’s firing was overturned, and he was reinstated to the LAPD, Jackson was understandably irate, and Makin Jr. was unhappy with the show’s direction.
Yet, before things became irreconcilable for Makin Jr., Jackson West graduated from a rookie to Police Officer II after completing his training under Officer Nolan in Season 3, Episode 9, “Amber.” Six episodes later, Jackson West was abruptly murdered for reasons that continue to mystify certain fans.
Why Was Jackson West Killed Off in Season 4?
The Rookie‘s Season 4 premiere, “Life and Death,” opens with a shock to the system that some viewers are still scratching their heads over. The episode picks up where Season 3 ended, continuing the storyline about Officer Lopez being kidnapped by drug trafficker Sandra de La Cruz, better known as La Feira. The final moments of Season 3 find Officer Nolan rushing in just after La Feira’s men abducted Officer Lopez, only to find her bracelet and her body missing.
“Life and Death” instantly begins with Officer Jackson West trying to protect Officer Lopez from La Feira’s enforcers. Without even showing his face, Jackson is gunned down from behind, with bullets entering his back. The reason Jackson was shot in the back and his face wasn’t shown is that Makin Jr. refused to film a farewell and had already decided to leave the show, and a different stunt actor was used in his place. The deeply dissatisfying and unceremonious send-off upset fans to no end, raising questions regarding why Makin Jr. decided to leave the show.
The primary reason Makin Jr. gave for suddenly exiting The Rookie was the nonexistent, if not unrealistic, depiction of police brutality perpetrated against Black citizens. Making Jr. cited the tragic George Floyd and Breonna Taylor incidents that occurred in 2020 as cautionary tales that should be reflected in The Rookie. As a Black actor playing a Black LAPD Officer, Makin Jr. was not comfortable with the moral implications of his character and the show writ large, and no longer wanted to participate.
Although Makin Jr. had considered departing The Rookie before Season 3 was produced, he remained on board in the hopes that more timely and topical storylines regarding racial profiling and police brutality against minority groups would materialize. Alas, after staying on the show through Season 3 and seeing little changes made, Makin Jr. decided to leave the series to pursue other creative endeavors.
What Has Titus Makin Jr. Been Up To Since Leaving The Rookie?
Titus Makin Jr. portrayed LAPD Officer Jackson West for 54 episodes of The Rookie from 2018 to 2021. Although Makin Jr. left the show due to the lack of storylines tackling systemic racism in the LAPD, he also exited to pursue his budding music career and try other acting roles. Since abruptly leaving The Rookie on high moral grounds, Makin Jr. has appeared in NCIS: Hawai’i and has also begun focusing more on film acting. Makin Jr.’s recent movie credits include Aliens on Halloween, On the Come Up, Pool Service, Inc., and, most recently, Sins of the Bride.
Since 2020, Makin Jr. has performed music under the alias Butterfly Ali, blending soul, funk, hip-hop, and R&B. Although he hasn’t posted to his YouTube channel in four years, fans can check out Butterfly Ali’s music on Spotify and other music apps. According to Makin Jr.’s Instagram account, he has a new EP available for download, although it appears to be the 2021 release of Preacher’s Kid. Makin Jr. also has 1.1 million TikTok followers and posts content for fans to enjoy his playful, creative, and musical side.
As upsetting as it was for fans to be robbed of a fitting farewell for the beloved Jackson West on The Rookie, Makin Jr. appears to be perfectly happy with his decision to leave the show for a worthy moralistic cause. He left the show because he could not sit idly by and watch real-life police brutality and racism go unchecked by the show’s writers. In his estimation, continuing to play a Black cop without addressing systemic law enforcement issues was exacerbating the problem, not working to solve it.
The Rookie is available to stream on Hulu