killing in ferriday, louisiana

Two suspects were identified in FBI documents as members of the Silver Dollar Group, a Klan offshoot believed responsible for Morris murder and seven others in Louisiana and Mississippi over a three-year period. FERRIDAY Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office deputies investigated two shooting deaths in the area of Lake St. John Sunday night. King thanked Concordia Parish Sheriffs Office and its deputies who worked jointly with Ferriday Police in this investigation, he said. "I dont know what was going through a 7-year-olds mind, but I know it was a lot, so I would imagine that was we know that's why it took so long.". DOJ names suspects; closes 1964 case, "Americas | US man in 1964 race attack charge", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silver_Dollar_Group&oldid=1151221382, Racially motivated violence against African Americans, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 April 2023, at 17:09. They quickly gave chase, pursuing the yellow Pontiac for several miles before Duncan watched their headlights start fading away. Morris, a black man who had . Klansmen took advantage of this, throwing a bomb just outside Whatleys bedroom window. Webre said that Theirots wounded father called 911 to report the shootings in Ascension Parish. [2] Scarborough, while under investigation for both Jackson's and Morris's murders, denied any involvement, stating that "every time something happens to a Negro it is immediately blamed on white people. Whatley said it was important for Deacons and activists to demand change in lawful yet effectiveways during the civil rights era, and he said that still holds true for the nationwide protests against police abuses today. Investigators say the people involved were 19 and 20-years . [2], By the fall of 1967, E.D. Morace, Tommie Lee Jones, Thor Lee Torgersen, and James Lee Scarborough were the primary suspects in the murder of Frank Morris. A month after Seale was indicted in January 2007, the FBI announced a new cold case initiative and published a shortlist of about 100 civil rights era cases that it planned to reprobe. Webre has said that shooting was reported at around 8:45 a.m. Investigators believe Theriot was staying with the Ernest family because he had been kicked out of his parents' home, Ard said. [2] According to these informants, Morace was the primary conspirator in the murder of Morris; however, the FBI could not find any physical evidence corroborating their witnesses. No charges have been brought despite three FBI investigations. The FBI concluded the investigation in 2016 when investigators determined there was insufficient evidence to charge any individual with any federal crimes; furthermore, important witnesses, suspects, and informants were dead. This went on month after month while I was in this school system.. [2] The FBI investigators believed that Morris knew his attackers, but was unwilling to divulge their identities. Klansmen had learned that McCraney was a member of a secret organization of black activists, the Deacons for Defense and Justice. "1970 Census: Population & Housing, Procedural History", "Cold Case: Silver Dollar Group linked to attacks Edwards, Morris, Jackson, Metcalfe", "Wharlest Jackson - Notice to Close File", "Cold Case: Silver Dollar Group Linked to Attacks Edwards, Morris, Jackson, Metcalfe, List of lynching victims in the United States, William "Froggie" James and Henry Salzner, Elijah Frost, Abijah Gibson, Tom McCracken, Thomas Moss, Henry Stewart, Calvin McDowell (TN), Thomas Harold Thurmond and John M. Holmes, Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching, Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, National Museum of African American History and Culture, "The United States of Lyncherdom" (Twain), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Frank_Morris&oldid=1147937870, December 1964 events in the United States, Racially motivated violence against African Americans, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from February 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2019, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from July 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Ferriday policemen, including "DeLaughter, Bill Ogden, and Ferriday Police Chief Bob Warren", had ordered an unidentified witness to "keep his mouth shut", and later told him to "get out of town". Lets do it intellectually not forcefully, Whatley said. An identified suspect had also fired a shotgun into the home of Junious "Tee-Wee" Kelly after Kelly had witnessed the arson. However, Poisott was eliminated as a potential witness due to his erratic amphetamine use and difficulties differentiating between personal knowledge and hearsay. If they held somebody in there that actually hadnt done anything but was falsely accused, we would support them by showing up in court., More:Here are 19 of the most influential civil rights leaders of today. "He has confessed to killing the five victims," Ard said. The group is believed to have had only some twenty members. The project reporters have already produced information in high-profile cases that prosecutors have used to build criminal cases against killers and conspirators who had walked free for more than 40 years. Morris opened Frank's Shoes Service in the late 1930s, in his hometown of Ferriday, Louisiana. The sheriff said Theriot is cooperating with the investigation. No one was ever arrested for the . With five children at home, Lewis kept the weapon unloaded. Harp described Morris as an alcoholic and had two confrontations with him during 19631965, as well as a small argument outside of the courthouse. Theriots grandmother was worried he would be headed her way and asked Richmond County, Virginia, sheriff's deputies to go to her home, Sheriff Stephan Smith has said. ", Courtesy of the Concordia Sentinel and William Brown, Concorida Sentinel: Rayville Man Implicated In Morris Case, Concordia Sentinel: Feds Vow To Solve Morris Murder, Civil Rights Cold Case Project: Frank Morris Case, Civil Rights Cold Case Project: Frank Morris Case Archives, 2010 Report: Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007. Our sincere condolences are offered to his family, friends, and coworkers.. In 1965, Klansmen had bombed the home of Whatleys neighbor, Robert L. Buck Lewis Jr., who had raced outside with a shotgun to defend his family against the perpetrators. [6] Ferriday Police officer William Howell Harp Jr. alleged that Morris was a bootlegger and sold narcotics. Nelson interviewed witnesses to uncover unknown facts and haunting recollections about the racially-motivated murders around Ferriday. He killed five people," Webre said. The suspects then drove the body to an old food plant, where they hid it under plywood and garbage. [2] In 2008, the FBI, through local media, informed the public that they were offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the Morris case. At approximately noon Sunday, Grant Dunbar, 24, was found dead at a residence in the area of Fifth Street and Georgia Avenue in Ferriday, said Ferriday Police Chief Sam King. When Theriot arrived at the home, deputies were already there. Theriots parents, Keith and Elizabeth Theriot, were killed at their home in Ascension Parish and Keith Theriot gave information to investigators before he died that pointed to his son as the suspect, the sheriff of that parish has said. The following day Morris's shop was attacked. Every journalism student in America should be making a pilgrimage to Ferriday, Louisiana, on this date to sit at the feet of and learn from Stanley Nelson, 59-year-old Editor of the Concordia Sentinel, a small weekly newspaper (circulation about 5,000) that serves up mostly local news, wedding announcements, obituaries and sports to the residents of The first full investigation of the Frank Morris murder began in January 1965, at the request of then-Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, Burke Marshall. Authorities in Concordia Parish say they are investigating the murder of a man recently named Teacher of the Year. Another has been arrested on a second-degree murder charge Tuesday in relation to a fatal shooting that took place Sunday afternoon in broad daylight in Ferriday. "We just know what he did. "We dont know if we will ever have a motive exactly why this happened.". The men broke multiple shop windows and proceeded to "spread a flammable liquid around the outside of the shop, and evidence indicates that the subjects may have spread the flammable liquid inside of the shop". FERRIDAY, La. McCray drove the suspects to a location around Bayou Drive in Ferriday, where the suspects pulled out a gun and shot him. Frank Morris's mother, Charlotte, died shortly after his birth. Police say the couple was at the woman's mother house at the time. Investigators say the people involved were 19 and 20-years-old. Nelson, Stanley. According to FBI documents, Ferriday Deacons included David Whatley, Leo Graham, Victor Graham, Herman Brown, Levado Brown, Richard Thompson, Samuel White, Frank Fleming, James Fleming, Fred Brown, Shine Calhoun, Stafford Redvine, FNU Jones, Anthony Lucky McCraney, Simon Smith, Antonne Duncan, Lionel Hooper, Vernon Smith, Anthony White, Joe Davis, Jeffrey Scott, Mack Moore and Johnny Lloyd. The state of Mississippi in the Jim Crow era was infamous for racially-fueled lynchings. NATCHEZ, Miss. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot dies at 84, Met Gala: Tennis star, supermodel reveal pregnancies, Man who lost wife, son in Texas mass shooting tells, Few leads, false alarms as search for Texas gunman, US to lift most federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Meteorologist Walker Snowden says goodbye to the, Grambling State Trevor Hatton Homers Twice as the, Lady Techsters Softball drops weekend series to Charlotte, ULM Softball Ashland Ard two-run homer lifts Warhawks, Hatton Homers Twice as Grambling State Routs Prairie, NBC 10 Evening Sportscast Sunday, April 30th, TWIN CITY OUTDOORS YARD OF THE WEEK 2023, Louisiana Living: Louisiana Delta Community College, Louisiana Living: Northeast Louisiana Sickle Cell, EPD confirm warning of gun violence over the weekend, Conexon Connect to deliver high-speed fiber internet, Sponsored Content: Magickal Mystic Moments of Mindfulness, Sponsored Content: Wound Ostomy Care Clinic, Le Creuset just launched a dreamy new color for spring, Our fitness expert weighs in on this years top spring, Bernice Police Department locates juvenile that went, 7 bodies found in search for two missing OK teens, US tracking balloon spotted off coast of Hawaii, DeSantis board approves suing Disney in latest tug-of-war, Your Arklamiss in 60 seconds: May 1, 2023, Multiple fatalities on Illinois highway following, West Monroe Police searching for an individual who, ROAD CLOSURE: N. Monroe Street in Ruston to experience, Yellen says drop-dead date for debt ceiling is June, El Dorado School District announces special education, American Airlines, seeking new contract, vote to, West Monroe man accused of raping his adoptive daughter, Reward offered in search for TX mass shooting suspect, West Monroe man arrested after issuing threats of, BestReviews.com - Top gifts to make everyone happy this spring, Surprise your mom with one of these Mothers Day, Mothers Day inspo: This foot massager has 20,000, Drew Barrymores Walmart collection is perfect for, Best Mothers Day gifts for the budding plant mom, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Not far from Lewis home lived Antonne Duncan, who days later ran through a Klan roadblock when he and other African American men transported Lewis home after his release from jail. Donnie Sanders III, 24, is charged with second-degree murder. Part 1:A half-century ago in Jonesboro, armed black men fought back. No subscription required to play. According to police, the man shot his girlfriend and then shot himself. The City of Ferriday hit a dead end with the case, and the sheriff's Department expressed no interest in taking it over.[6]. The group is also suspected in the disappearance and murder of an African American employee of the Shamrock Motel, Joseph Edwards. Despite the damage the bomb caused to his home and the threat it posed to his family, Lewis was handcuffed by Ferriday police and charged with aggravated assault, according to FBI and CORE documents. There have been allegations of witness intimidation, evidence tampering, and involvement by local law enforcement. Dakota Theriot was taken into custody in Virginia after killing five people in Louisiana on Jan. 27, 2019. We will continue to update this story with more information as it develops. There were rumors of Morris being romantically involved with the wife of a white man, and after the arson, the white couple soon left town. I hate it for him and his family. [2] During this investigation, the FBI re-interviewed the living witnesses who had first-hand information about the arson, as well as "family members, business owners and neighbors in the vicinity of the shoe shop, law enforcement officers, community members, and former KKK members". [2] After one of the subjects lit a match, the shop caught fire; Morris was still present in the building. Born in Jonesboro before spreading most notably to Bogalusa, Homer and Ferriday, the Deacons main purpose was to fight fire with fire and to protect their communities. As a Junior Deacon, he and other members were vigilant and on call when the older Deacons needed them. The victim, identified as Grant Dunbar, 24, was found dead at a residence in the area of Fifth Street and Georgia Avenue in Ferriday, said Ferriday Police Chief Sam King. The Deacons connection to churches inspired the groups name. When Jones was interviewed on September22, he stated that "if he was arrested for this crime, officers also would have to arrest DeLaughter". [5] Jackson had recently been promoted to a position never before held by an African American. We were able to get a dying declaration from the dad before he expired, Webre said. A Louisiana man accused of shooting to death five people, including his parents, at two locations last week has confessed to the killings, but the motive is still unknown, authorities said Tuesday. The expiry of the grand jury looking into the civil rights era murder of Frank Morris in the small town of Ferriday, Louisiana, has prompted expressions of anger and frustration from those . Whatley said Deacons held meetings at Mercy Seat Baptist Church, where shoe shop owner Frank Morris had served as an usher, as well as Mount Olive Baptist Church and St. Charles Catholic Church. . He was able to escape the shop but sustained burns on 100% of his body. To date, every civil rights murder case that has been reopened and successfully prosecuted was the direct result of an investigation initiated by a journalist. The Frank Morris case is just one of many civil rights era cold cases that journalists like Stanley Nelson and David Ridgen are investigating as part of The Civil Rights Cold Case Project, which is an unprecedented collaboration of journalists from across the media spectrum, created in the aftermath of the trial of former Klansman James Ford Seale. The group is also suspected in the disappearance . Part 2:In Bogalusa, the Deacons fought violence with violence. "[2] The FBI collected evidence at the crime scene and conducted interviews with local law enforcement, local Klan leaders, and witnesses. It was kind of a barbershop-type of thing where you sit around, you talk about what has happened, who did this and who did that and what to expect next, Whatley recalled. The building was burned down in the early morning of December 10, 1964. In October 2008, Congress passed the Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, to provide the Department of Justice and FBI millions of dollars to investigate these cases. The group killed an African American man, Frank Morris, by arson in Ferriday, Louisiana, and is suspected in two car bombings of NAACP leaders in Natchez, Mississippi, George Metcalfe and Wharlest Jackson. Nelson, Stanley. He said the bureau concluded that if the bombs two sticks of blasting powder would have ignited, the house might have been destroyed. Two white CORE members, who practiced the non-violent approach championed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., were beaten. The Silver Dollar Group was an offshoot of the Ku Klux Klan white nationalist terrorist group, composed of cells that took up violent actions to support Klan goals. David Whatley, the first black student to integrate Ferriday High in 1966, returned from tortuous days at school only to face just as many threats outside his home. They were identified as 65-year-old Mark Clark and 49-year-old Donna R. Clark, both of Ferriday. Ard has said that Theriot left the Ernests' home in Livingston Parish in Billy Ernests pickup truck on the morning of the killings and that he was in the same vehicle when he was arrested in Virginia. [2] Three new subjects were identified, but the investigators did not uncover any credible physical evidence supporting the allegations. CPSO says upon arrival, they found two bodies with fatal gunshot wounds. In addition to each member owning his own weapon, the agent wrote, the unit allegedly possessed three semi-automatic carbines and two walkie-talkies used when patrolling. Lewis raced outside with a shotgun. [2], Stanley Nelson, an award-winning journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist, published Devils Walking: Klan Murders along the Mississippi in the 1960s, after a series of articles in the Concordia Sentinel. Autopsies for Theriots parents were scheduled for Tuesday, Webre said. Dec 16, 2020. He was killed when the shop burned down in 1964. Wed march on the jail. [2], The FBI reopened the Frank Morris investigation in 2007, as part of the Civil Rights Era Cold Case Initiative. Check out these great suggestions. All games are FREE. Copyright 2021 KNOE. "We are actively, as we speak involved in this investigation. (KTVE/KARD) On Wednesday September 15, officers with the Ferriday Police Department arrested 19-year-old Denzel Washington for 2nd Degree Murder. ", "We know what happened here. [2] The FBI had received information that local law enforcement officials had been involved. In three interviews conducted by FBI investigators, Morris stated that "he saw a man pouring gasoline around the place [] another man had a shotgun and told him 'to get back in there, nigger'". The Deacons were unlike any such group before or since. The 2020 Ferriday crime rate rose by 14% compared to 2019. Morris was taken to the hospital by two Ferriday police officers and was able to speak to FBI investigators. We believe there had been some type of verbal altercation from maybe an ongoing dispute. Luckily, only the detonator exploded, not the bomb itself, sparing the family from tragedy. Jonesboro Deacon and evangelist preacher Frederick Douglas Kirkpatrick told the FBI they chose to call the group the Deacons because that indicated it was for the good of all people. Police say the bodies were found just before 2:30 p.m. at a home on Johnson Street. The sheriff's office said the incident happened on June 23 in the Ferriday area in northeast Louisiana. They knew Klansmen would await Lewis release and that deputies would notify the Klan that a black activist was being released from jail. The Department of Justice and the FBI say they are conducting ongoing investigations into the Morris case. The dismantlement was due to several reasons, including the broader enforcement of civil rights laws, the progression of the Vietnam War and the election of blacks to school boards, town councils and police juries. In a report from the Concordi We do feel this is isolated to those individuals and we dont feel the community is in any danger at this point.. During the 1960s, the area was a strictly segregated society. This page was last edited on 3 April 2023, at 04:13. Two killed in Ferriday . Much like the Morris case, witness accounts were not corroborating, and in August 1968, the investigation was closed. 2023 www.theadvertiser.com. The main force that we had was marches, he said. Every murder is a senseless murder and this one certainly fits those criteria. It was higher than in 73.6% U.S. cities. Sons of Klansmen tied to Louisiana murder haunted by sins of their fathers. [4] Multiple disappearances and murders in the Natchez, Mississippi, area were connected to both the KKK and the SDG. Ard said that investigators believe Theriot had been living with the Ernest family for two weeks, and that the killings happened a short time after Theriot rode with Billy Ernest to drop his wife off at work and they returned to the home. Police say it happened on Johnson Street around 5 p.m. Morris opened the front door of the shop, where he was met by two men in their thirties, one of whom was armed with a shotgun. No charges have been brought despite three FBI investigations. When the group began to phase out in Ferriday and the other towns by 1966, the FBI stopped keeping close tabs on the Deacons. (KTVE/KARD) On Tuesday August 17 shortly after 2:00 a.m., troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a fatal crash on . The population of Adams County was split roughly in half between blacks and whites. IE 11 is not supported. CONCORDIA PARISH, La. [3] Much like the other Mississippi counties, law enforcement and the courts were run by whites. [2] All four men were questioned and denied any involvement in the arson and murder. ranks 6th in nation for best home security, SPD reports low home burglary count, Louisiana Cancer Research center expanding its research opportunities, KNOE Monday Evening Forecast with Chief Meteorologist Marcus Walter. On February 27, 1967, Wharlest Jackson, an employee at Armstrong Tire & Rubber Company in Natchez, Mississippi, was killed when a bomb exploded under the hood of his car while he was driving home. [1][pageneeded] The shop was also his residence. [3] Morris had a shoe repair shop in Ferriday, and died after his shoe repair shop was burned. "As far as why this happened, that motive is still unclear.". Two others from Ferriday Dantreze Scott, 24, and Deandra Griggs, who will be 23 in April are each charged with accessory after the fact to second-degree murder. Dakota Theriot, 21, fled to his grandmothers house in Virginia after the killings in Ascension and Livingston parishes Saturday morning, and he was arrested Sunday outside his grandmother's home by deputies who were already there, authorities have said. He was also named 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. More history:Woman works to preserve Bogalusa home turned headquarters of civil rights group. ranks 6th in nation for best home security, SPD reports low home burglary count, Louisiana Cancer Research center expanding its research opportunities, KNOE Monday Evening Forecast with Chief Meteorologist Marcus Walter. Frank Morris fathered one child, and had two grandchildren. Their assistance was invaluable and their response in working this case with us, he said. All rights reserved. One such informant, known as Orvin C. "Coonie" Poissot, was a Klansman from Texas who had a relationship with a local sheriff's deputy named Frank Delaughter, whom Poissot implicated as a conspirator in the murder of Frank Morris. When Lewis was released after serving two weeks, Whatley and Antonne Duncan were part of a Deacon team organized to get him home safely. Devils Walking: Klan Murders along the Mississippi in the 1960s. [2] The informant, fearing for his life, did not share this information with the FBI until two years after the arson. Whatley also was at a great risk for Klan attacks because CORE workers were housed in his grandmothers home, where he also lived. Ferriday Police are investigating a suspected murder-suicide that happened Wednesday afternoon. The sheriffs office says the incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide and that there are no suspects at large. FERRIDAY, La. Wed walk nights with rifles on our shoulders like you would see in some foreign countries, Whatley said. Although acknowledging he was hesitant, Judge John Reeves recused himself Thursday from conducting a hearing for a convicted Ferriday murderer who has spent the past 10 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Before those killings, Dakota Theriot allegedly killed Summer Ernest, 20, her father Billy Ernest, 43, and her brother, Tanner Ernest, 17.

Are Old Shotgun Shells Worth Anything, House Fire Oxford, Articles K