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Last year, I reported on a rural shooting where a white resident shot at BLM marchers going from Milwaukee to D.C. Nobody was charged, and residents wondered how someone can shoot into a crowd of people and not get punished. We've finally gotten answers. But keep reading...
For nine months, the DA of Bedford County, Lesley Childers-Potts, said she wouldn't file charges until the investigation was finished. @RyanDeto and I reported on this two months after the shooting, when State Police were also cagey on releasing details... https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2020/09/pa-state-police-bedford-shooting-civil-rights-marchers/?fbclid=IwAR0C8ua4aa6Tvr_PLkSjmV2-EUv1H7SxuB2E5GDYRhr_2w10V4-dDTrqNp0
But I continued pushing, and for five more months, I tried to understand why a shooting that was caught on multiple cameras, and had multiple eye witnesses, was taking so long to investigate. Then, we learned this week, the investigation's been finished for months...
PSP finished their report in February and handed it to Potts in March. When myself and @TDDavidHurst went asking for updates, we got brushed off and told the investigation was ongoing. Turns out, PSP confirmed that she had the police report before we spoke with her...
We called Potts yesterday, and tried to confront her about her sitting on the report and charges. She ignored our calls and emails. Just this morning, she filed charges — two months after receiving the report that recommended the charges...
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/05/pa-bedford-county-civil-rights-shooting-black-lives-matter-charges/
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/05/pa-bedford-county-civil-rights-shooting-black-lives-matter-charges/
But the charges are shocking for the people who were shot at, because their friend who got shot in the face is also being charged the same as his shooter. Even though the police report mentions that it was retaliatory gunfire in his defense...
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/05/pa-bedford-county-civil-rights-shooting-black-lives-matter-charges/
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/05/pa-bedford-county-civil-rights-shooting-black-lives-matter-charges/
This brings to an end a long-standing chasm within Bedford, as well. Residents for months have been trying to get transparency on what happened that night, and this is the first step in dispelling the racist myths and rumors that caused an armed mob to swarm a courthouse...
