killing in ferriday, louisiana

Cops are investigating a double shooting -- including one fatality -- in the now-famous L.A. neighborhood where the movie "Friday" was filmed. The sheriff's office said the suspect allegedly pointed a gun out the window of his vehicle causing deputies to seek cover, and that he was ordered to drop his weapon and was arrested without incident. He was also named 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. 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. Authorities in Louisiana will seek to extradite Theriot from Virginia, Webre said. [2] This witness also received death threats, and his home was fired upon on multiple occasions. In Homer, the Deacons defied Willie Rainachs segregation, the 1964 arson murder of Ferriday shoe shop owner Frank Morris, In Bogalusa, the Deacons fought violence with violence, the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication Cold Case Project, Woman works to preserve Bogalusa home turned headquarters of civil rights group, Sons of Klansmen tied to Louisiana murder haunted by sins of their fathers, A half-century ago in Jonesboro, armed black men fought back, Here are 19 of the most influential civil rights leaders of today, George Floyds killing resurrects nightmares for families of civil rights martyrs, the nationwide protests against police abuses today, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Sons of Klansmen tied to Louisiana murder haunted by sins of their fathers. Nelson is a member of the Civil Rights Cold Case Project, a group of journalists, filmmakers, law schools and other organizations created in 2008 by Paperny Films in Canada and the Center for Investigative Reporting in Berkeley, Calif. With the help of FBI documents Nelson received through Freedom of Information requests and from the Syracuse College of Law Cold Case Justice Initiative, and extensive interviews with those who knew Morris or about the case, he was able to piece together the story, ultimately naming a person suspected of being involved: Arthur Leonard Spencer, 71, of Rayville, La. [5], Following the bombing, the FBI launched operation "WHARBOM"[5] and placed multiple informants within Klan groups surrounding Natchez. We do feel this is isolated to those individuals and we dont feel the community is in any danger at this point.. The FBI later concluded that the local Klan was likely to be involved, but conflicting accounts, no viable subjects, and lack of a motive led to the investigation being closed in May1965. Frank Morris was a 51-year-old black businessman in Ferriday who ran a shoe shop and repair store, where he served both black and white customers. McCray drove the suspects to a location around Bayou Drive in Ferriday, where the suspects pulled out a gun and shot him. Before those killings, Dakota Theriot allegedly killed Summer Ernest, 20, her father Billy Ernest, 43, and her brother, Tanner Ernest, 17. Lewis decided that if two visiting white men like Atcheson and Clurman were willing to take a beating in the name of civil rights in Ferriday, it was time for him to take a stand, too, and in August 1965, Lewis got involved with the CORE-sponsored Ferriday Freedom Movement. He was killed when the shop burned down in 1964. All games are FREE. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Friday morning. Duncan and a few other young, armed Deacons piled into his brothers canary yellow Pontiac to rescue Lewis, who also received help from a white bondsman from New Orleans. A Ferriday man shot a Vidalia woman before killing himself with the same gun Tuesday afternoon in Ferriday. Frank Morris (19141964) was an American businessman who died as a result of arson to his shoe shop in Ferriday, Louisiana, a city with a history of racial violence. 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. During the 1960s, the area was a strictly segregated society. The group is believed to have had only some twenty members. [2] Three new subjects were identified, but the investigators did not uncover any credible physical evidence supporting the allegations. They met weekly and conducted all-night patrols. 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. (KTVE/KARD) On Wednesday September 15, officers with the Ferriday Police Department arrested 19-year-old Denzel Washington for 2nd Degree Murder. Until now, the case has gone unsolved. More history:Woman works to preserve Bogalusa home turned headquarters of civil rights group. The preliminary investigation concluded that Morris had not been involved in any racially motivated activities. "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.". Who would you like to see as our next U.S. president? Klansmen had learned that McCraney was a member of a secret organization of black activists, the Deacons for Defense and Justice. No subscription required to play. We would make it known that we were alert and we were awake, and they would flee, Whatley said. No one was hurt during the arrest, Ard said. The Deacons connection to churches inspired the groups name. These men had long been outraged by one horrid memory the 1964 arson murder of Ferriday shoe shop owner Frank Morris.No one was ever arrested for the killing. 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. [2], On August 3, 1967, a confidential informant, who was a high-ranking officer of the KKK, told the FBI that a few days prior to the Morris arson, E.D. Morace approached the informant regarding an African American, referred to as "Old Frank", whom Morace said "had been flirtatious with white women". "[2], On November 1920, 1967, two confidential sources described the same November meeting in which Morace, Jones, Torgersen, and Scarborough implicated themselves in the murder of Morris. Violent Klansmen had long been embedded with corrupt cops, some of whom wore robes themselves. The population of Adams County was split roughly in half between blacks and whites. Morris, a black man who had . At the time of his death, Morris owned the land his shop was on, and he was seen as an honest man who paid his bills on time. 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. Police investigating Labor Day homicide in Ferriday. Law officials said deputies responded to a report of a shooting at approximately 9:30 p.m. at the 3000 block of U.S. 569 on Lake Saint John. He was killed when the shop burned down in 1964. We will continue to update this story with more information as it develops. 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. 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. Morris was interviewed three times; however, he was heavily medicated. By Sabrina Simms Robertson. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considered the SDG to be a highly-dangerous domestic terror cell, and conducted multiple investigations into its activities. Frank Morris (in the apron and visor) is seen standing in front of his shoe shop in Ferriday, La., in the 1950s. The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations is currently investigating an officer-involved shooting that took place in Ferriday on Sunday night. The building was burned down in the early morning of December 10, 1964. Morris, a black man who had operated a business with a devoted interracial clientele for 30 years, had become a role model for young black men, many of whom got their first jobs as children helping Morris around his shop. The 2020 Ferriday crime rate rose by 14% compared to 2019. Lets do it intellectually not forcefully, Whatley said. No subscription required to play. 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'". It was higher than in 73.6% U.S. cities. The creation of the Deacons groups is outlined in a 606-page FBI file released through the Freedom of Information Act to the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication Cold Case Project, which investigates Klan activities. The suspects are identified as Jimmy ONeal Lewis and Cedric Tennessee. This spring, Le Creuset has introduced an exciting new shade thats already selling fast: shallot, a soft lavender with pink and slight gray undertones. For his work on the Frank Morris case, he was a finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting and a recipient this year of the University of Oregon's Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism and the Louisiana State University Manship School Courage and Justice . Justice may finally be served, thanks to the reporting of Stanley Nelson of the weekly Concordia Sentinel. So when there was a problem, there was a way of communicating to them what was going on.. King said the investigation is still ongoing and more arrests are anticipated. 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. [3][4], In 2007, Silver Dollar Group member James Ford Seale was charged and convicted for the May 1964 kidnapping of Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, two African-American young men in Meadville, Mississippi.[5]. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Law officials said deputies responded to a report of a. In a report from the Concordi In an interview with Nelson, Spencer denies those allegations. Frank Morris (in the apron and visor) is seen standing in front of his shoe shop in Ferriday, La., in the 1950s. Whatley contacted COREs central office after the attack, sparking an FBI investigation. Later, he was transported to the parish courthouse jail in Vidalia. 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. 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. No one was ever arrested for the killing. Later on, Anthony Lucky McCraneys gas station was firebombed, marking the sixth act of racial violence in Ferriday within a two-month period, according to CORE documents. 2023 www.theadvertiser.com. They quickly gave chase, pursuing the yellow Pontiac for several miles before Duncan watched their headlights start fading away. Published: Sep. 11, 2019 at 7:15 PM PDT. Were still trying to piece together all of the details as to what transpired, King said. ", "We know what happened here. David Whatley, who was a CORE member himself while a student at Ferriday High School, confirmed in a recent interview that the Ferriday Deacons were armed. Wed march on the jail. [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. McCray drove the suspects to a location around Bayou Drive in Ferriday, where the suspects pulled out a gun and shot him. COREs main task was to test whether the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were being implemented, and for this their workers suffered in Ferriday. Klansmen took advantage of this, throwing a bomb just outside Whatleys bedroom window. [citation needed], Ferriday is located in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, across the Mississippi River from Adams County, Mississippi. 4/23/2021 7:14 AM PT. The suspect had been living with the Ernest family for a couple of weeks before the killings, Ard has said. Once arrested himself on a false claim and held in the local jail for two weeks, Whatley said a primary function of the Ferriday Deacons was to protest the unlawful arrests of local black men. Donnie Sanders III, 24, is charged with second-degree murder. Investigators say the people involved were 19 and 20-years . (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 . [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". FERRIDAY, La. In his first year of teaching at Morgantown, Mr. McCray was named the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. Warrants have been signed for a Ferriday man who allegedly shot and killed another Ferriday man early Saturday morning in Ferriday. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Natchez pastry chef Molly Manning Robertson in bake off for last spot in Spring Baking Championship finale, VIDEO: Funeral procession for long-time sheriff Tommy Ferrell passes by Adams County Sheriffs Office, Calm, focused and ready: The role of an ER nurse, A Team Sport: Emergency medicine, first-responders share common goal of saving lives, 2023, Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper. The main force that we had was marches, he said. [2] The FBI investigators believed that Morris knew his attackers, but was unwilling to divulge their identities. Police say the couple was at the woman's mother house at the time. The Department of Justice and the FBI say they are conducting ongoing investigations into the Morris case. According to authorities, McCray was a teacher in Natchez with two degrees. All rights reserved. Ku Klux Klan (KKK) activity was exceptionally high during the Civil Rights era. 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. These men had long been outraged by one horrid memory the 1964 arson murder of Ferriday shoe shop owner Frank Morris. "So, this is a monster.". An identified suspect had also fired a shotgun into the home of Junious "Tee-Wee" Kelly after Kelly had witnessed the arson. Ferriday, La. (See pages 14-16 of this PDF.). Six decades after a Louisiana man's disappearance and presumed murder, his family is still looking for answers and a body to bury. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Natchez pastry chef Molly Manning Robertson in bake off for last spot in Spring Baking Championship finale, VIDEO: Funeral procession for long-time sheriff Tommy Ferrell passes by Adams County Sheriffs Office, Calm, focused and ready: The role of an ER nurse, A Team Sport: Emergency medicine, first-responders share common goal of saving lives, 2023, Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper. FERRIDAY Concordia Parish Sheriffs Office deputies investigated two shooting deaths in the area of Lake St. John Sunday night. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Kelly later told Rosa Williams, Morris's granddaughter, "I know what happened to your grandfather You don't have to look no further than the police department. The shop was very successful and was known by the tag line, "Open every day and half the night", in its ads in the Concordia Sentinel. Concordia Parish had 14 recorded racially-motivated murders between 1964 and 1967.[4]. Harp and colleagues also found a "slightly scorched" suitcase filled with fourteen and a half pints of bourbon. [3] Much like the other Mississippi counties, law enforcement and the courts were run by whites. The sheriffs office said the incident happened on June 23 in the Ferriday area in northeast Louisiana. . When Lewis was released after serving two weeks, Whatley and Antonne Duncan were part of a Deacon team organized to get him home safely. Theriot said he used a handgun stolen from his father, Keith Theriot, and that it was the weapon recovered after he was arrested, Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said at a news conference Tuesday. On May 20, 2005, the decomposed body of 28-year-old Loretta Lynn Chaisson Lewis was fished out of a canal on the outskirts of Jennings, in the Jefferson Davis Parish of southwest Louisiana. He had previously dedicated songs to white women on his radio show and would lean into their cars and occasionally sit in their passenger seats. They were identified as 65-year-old Mark Clark and 49-year-old Donna R. Clark, both of Ferriday. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. 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. Authorities in Concordia Parish say they are investigating the murder of a man recently named Teacher of the Year. Frank Morris fathered one child, and had two grandchildren. He said anyone who wants to resolve racial injustices and divisions should do so legally, rather than violently. According to the L.A. County . Whatley said Klansmen also shot out the lights on his grandmothers house and drove around the home several times for days to intimidate the family. 0. 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. All games are FREE. The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office was called to the home at around 8:47 a.m. that morning, he said. Their assistance was invaluable and their response in working this case with us, he said. There have been allegations of witness intimidation, evidence tampering, and involvement by local law enforcement. Morris told the FBI that the men were from Natchez, Mississippi, were between the ages of 30 and 35, and that "one [man] was young with gray hair and the other was very white". "Weve got a better picture on how this happened," the sheriff said of the five killings. Delaughter lied about his location during the arson, claiming that he was out of the jurisdiction on a non-emergency call. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [2] The informant, fearing for his life, did not share this information with the FBI until two years after the arson. "Cold Case: Morris' Granddaughter Says FBI $10,000 Reward Gives Her New Hope". 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. With five children at home, Lewis kept the weapon unloaded. Like many Southern crimes against blacks in the 1960s -- an era of racial strife dominated by criminal activities by the Ku Klux Klan -- the incident went unsolved, despite an FBI investigation at the time. On December 10, 1964, two unidentified white men set fire to the shoe repair shop owned by Frank Morris. 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. David Whatley was among the men inspired by Morris life and angered by his murder, and he would become the youngest member of the group that took on Klansmen and bad cops when they organized the Ferriday chapter of the Deacons for Defense and Justice. (KNOE) - Authorities are investigating what they believe to be a murder-suicide in Concordia Parish. As far as why this happened, that motive is still unclear," Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre said at the news conference. Carl Ray Thompson, then 26, spotted his cousin's two-toned. According to the Concordia Sentinel, the Ferriday Police Department began investigating the deaths of two people who were killed Wednesday afternoon. ( KTVE/KARD) According to the Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office, on Monday, May 16, 2022, deputies received information from Monroe Police Department detectives about a person. Until now, the case has gone unsolved. "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. CONCORDIA PARISH, La. Their only protection came from the Deacons, he said. Upon their arrival, the bodies of Mark Clark, 65, and Donna Clark, 49, of Ferriday, were discovered with fatal gunshot wounds. A 20-year-old male and 26-year-old female were killed by apparent gunshot wounds. We expect more arrests to be made in relation to this case. Concordia Parish authorities investigating suspected murder-suicide, West Monroe man arrested after allegedly raping adopted daughter, Monroe duo arrested for alleged sex trafficking of minor, 10-year-old shot during argument, Marion man arrested, 2 Winnfield residents arrested following death of 3 year old, One lucky winner in Arkansas is about to become $2.338M richer, La. Police said the weapon used the shooting was a .45 caliber pistol. Copyright 2021 KNOE. When he saw one of the perpetrators fleeing the scene, he instinctively raised his gun and pulled the trigger, only to hear an empty click. The investigation revealed new allegations that local police officers were tampering with the investigation by threatening witnesses. 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. "As far as why this happened, that motive is still unclear.". Davis furnished the bureau a list of Ferriday Deacons, and he identified former Harlem Globetrotter Johnny Lloyd, who was a four-sport coach at the local black school Sevier High, as a Deacon. Updated: Aug 18, 2021 / 01:29 PM CDT. The SDG regularly committed arson, bombings, and murder. The group was largely found in Mississippi and Louisiana, and was named for their practice of identifying themselves by carrying a silver dollar. 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". IE 11 is not supported. Police say the bodies were found just before 2:30 p.m. at a home on Johnson Street. [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. 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. 2021-09-07. Ferriday Police are investigating a suspected murder-suicide that happened Wednesday afternoon. 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. The following day Morris's shop was attacked. We were able to get a dying declaration from the dad before he expired, Webre said. Later that week, officers Frank DeLaughter and Bill Ogden intimidated Kelly and forced him out of town. Every murder is a senseless murder and this one certainly fits those criteria. Mr. McCrays zeal for education, infectious smile, gentle personality, fashion sense, and love for children will be missed by all of us at Natchez-Adams School District. Theriot then allegedly went to Ascension Parish were he killed his parents, and then fled. This was of interest to the FBI, as multiple informants stated that the Concordia Parish Sheriff's Department had prior knowledge of the coming attack on Morris, and was told to "be on the other side of the parish". He was able to escape the shop but sustained burns on 100% of his body. Louisiana shooting suspect Dakota Theriot captured. FERRIDAY, La. [1][pageneeded] The shop was also his residence. One unique feature of the Ferriday Deacons was that they had what Whatley called the Junior Deacons League, composed of a half dozen teenagers. In February1968, the second investigation was closed when the FBI determined that there was insufficient evidence to charge any of the suspects. According to investigators, on the night of the murder Frederick McCray Jr. gave a ride to the two suspects. The sheriff's office says the incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide and that there . "We just know what he did. 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 what do you say when receiving ashes on ash wednesday,

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