The end of The Rookie season three saw the unexpected departure of Officer Jackson West (played by Titus Makin Jr) in the ABC procedural drama.
Despite becoming a fan favorite the actor took viewers by surprise when he decided to step down from the role in 2021 after a major cliffhanger.
Many were left on the edge of their seats when Jackon and Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) were kidnapped by Sandra de la Cruz’ (Camille Guaty) men during Angela and Wesley’s (Shawn Ashmore) wedding.
Although the ending didn’t tease their death or survival, fans began to speculate the officer’s death after he didn’t appear in any of the season four teasers or trailers.
However, the suspicion proved to be true when the premiere confirmed Jackson was killed.
Fans were able to watch the ordeal go down as season four featured CCTV footage of Jackson getting shot by one of Sandra’s henchmen.
By the end of the episode, Lopez paid a touching tribute to Jackson by naming her newborn son after him.
While many were devastated to learn the beloved officer was murdered, the showrunner Alexi Hawley revealed filming the character’s exit wasn’t her idea.
As she told TV Line, the actor, Makin Jr was ready to leave the show, stating: “What I can say is that Titus [Makin] was not coming back to the show.
“So we needed to do the best that we could to honor the character who’s been so primally a part of the show.”
However, Makin Jr opened up about the real reason he decided to leave The Rookie.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, revealed he had previously considered leaving after learning about the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020.
He explained: “A lot of people are finding a voice, and I found that for myself, where I was like, ‘Oh wow, I’ve been complacent.’
“I woke up one morning and I was watching the news, and I was like, ‘I can’t do this.’
“‘I can’t go play a cop on a show and not talk about the fact that I’m a Black cop.’ My character hadn’t addressed any of that.’”
Makin Jr continued: “I had that conversation with Alexi [Hawley], our showrunner, and he was extremely gracious and he totally understood everything I was saying.
“I did come to that point where I was like, ‘If you want to write me out, I politely receive that. I would rather be written out than ignore the reality and not be able to tell the story.’”
The Rookie seasons 1-5 are available to stream on ABC in the USA.
