Given this background information, as you read the article, I want you to mentally count how many times you think about race..
Prep star's death ruled accident; family not convinced
By Greg Jenson, The Clarion Ledger via APA grand jury report into the death of George County (Lucedale, Miss.) running back Billey Joe Johnson Jr. concluded Thursday the recruit shot himself by accident with his 12-gauge shotgun during a traffic stop..
While his family was relieved his death was no longer being ruled a suicide, the report left unanswered questions, said Jerome Carter, the family's attorney.
"I ain't buying (the grand jury ruling)," Johnson's mother, Annette, said at the George County Courthouse. "We are going further and we are going higher."
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said it would submit its evidence to the U.S. Justice Department and seek a federal probe.
Johnson, a 5-11, 220-pound junior who ran for 1,559 yards and 24 touchdowns last season and was receiving interest from Alabama, Mississippi and LSU, among others, died on Dec. 8, 2008, in Lucedale.
The circumstances surrounding the death of the black teen led his family and the local chapter of the NAACP to question a white deputy's role in the death.
According to the grand jury report, Johnson, 17, left his home before dawn to go deer hunting but made an unexpected visit to the home of an ex-girlfriend and tried to wake her by tapping on her window. Her family called 911 and reported a burglary. After hearing sirens, Johnson drove away but was stopped by Lucedale police deputy Joe Sullivan, who said Johnson ran a red light. When Sullivan went to his vehicle to check on Johnson's license, the report said, Johnson tried to move his shotgun in the cab portion of his truck and accidentally discharged a blast into the left side of his head.
When other officers arrived, Johnson was on the ground outside of the driver's side door with a shotgun on top of him, the barrel pointing toward his head, police have said.
"The family has a sense of relief that comes from the removal of any criminal wrongdoing on (Johnson's) part or activity related to any alleged burglary," Carter said. "They are still dismayed with what is deemed to be an accidental shooting. They've asked us to remain in the case."
Carter said the family needs to see the same evidence the grand jury, made up of 14 white and two black members, has seen and has been told unofficially by Judge Robert Krebs that the exhibits would be made available. Carter said the biggest question the report didn't answer was why gunpowder residue was found only on Johnson's left hand and why was the gunpowder residue found on Deputy Sullivan's hands deemed insignificant.
"There are too many questions that need to be answered," Carter said. "Our plan is to get all of the information that was to be presented to the grand jury. They used minimizing language in the report about the gunpowder residue on the deputy's hands, but I don't understand why, if he had just reported to work and had not fired his weapon, why would he have gunpowder residue on his hands?"
"It's a tragic accident, and I know it's hard for some people to accept that," county District Attorney Tony Lawrence said.
Contributing: Associated Press
How many times did race come up in this article? A lot, and why shouldn't it? We have a suspicious death involving a black teenager and a white law enforcement officer. We have the involvement of the NAACP. How many noticed the makeup of the Grand Jury? 14 whites and only two blacks.
A lot of the details involved in the case are suspicious for sure, but I didn't want to talk about what may or may not have happened.It's a sad fact that racism is still a major concern in this country. Even if this does turn out to be an accidental death, you can obviously read the bias in the reporter’s language that suggests the possibility of a hate crime. One day the people of this country will wisen up.It is a tragic story. My prayers go out to the family and friends, and everyone affected by this young man’s death.
wow thats a crazy story, its sad that it happends as much as it does, but hopefully the person who did the wrong thing will be caught and delt with....
ReplyDeleteIt is just one of those stories that we hear all the time. It reminds me about the Gena six trial some times ago where the case involving six kids. The story was mainly based on a black boy who brutally beat a white boy boy bringing out a gun at the scene of the fight. The black boy was charged for posession of fire arm after he took it from the white boy. The jury sonsisted of all white people. No one will ever know what exactly happened since the teen is already dead but the question and suspicion is the fact that jury is overwhelmingly dominated by white. It can not be a fair trial. Some of those southern states are still carry out racial disccriminations and unfairness. I hope that one good day something can tell hese people be it black or white that God made all man equall and we should love each other regardless of our race or gender or ethnicity. It's a good article and it can remind people of how much work still needs to be done in this country when it comes to race. The election of president Obama was a big mile stone but we are still far away from perfect.
ReplyDeleteI think it is awful that one race would find supremacy over another. We are all people who basically deal with the same things everyday. This might sound lame, but why can't people get over themselves and find the good in others. Race shouldn't matter. I do think that culture of different ethnic groups could divide a society, maybe not intentionally but people do attach to what they know. I think knowledge is power and if maybe in school, kids should learn about different cultures and become educated instead of ignorant.
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