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 Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office (CPSO) is leading the investigation into the shooting at 106 Gremillion Street. Webre said that Theirots wounded father called 911 to report the shootings in Ascension Parish. 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. More:Sons of Klansmen tied to Louisiana murder haunted by sins of their fathers. Jeff Davis 8: The True Story of the 'Murder in the Bayou' Killings "By the time the neighbors called 911, the incident in Ascension was already happening," Ard said. He said anyone who wants to resolve racial injustices and divisions should do so legally, rather than violently. 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. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considered the SDG to be a highly-dangerous domestic terror cell, and conducted multiple investigations into its activities. 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. [5], Following the bombing, the FBI launched operation "WHARBOM"[5] and placed multiple informants within Klan groups surrounding Natchez. So far no charges have been filed. 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. FERRIDAY Concordia Parish Sheriffs Office deputies investigated two shooting deaths in the area of Lake St. John Sunday night. He was killed when the shop burned down in 1964. Dec 16, 2020. 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. Read full article on original website. Ferriday teen arrested for 2nd Degree Murder - myarklamiss.com 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. 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. 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. 2 People Shot in L.A. Neighborhood Where 'Friday' Was Filmed - TMZ 4/23/2021 7:14 AM PT. "He has confessed to killing the five victims," Ard said. 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. The group is also suspected in the disappearance and murder of an African American employee of the Shamrock Motel, Joseph Edwards. Frank Morris's mother, Charlotte, died shortly after his birth. One unique feature of the Ferriday Deacons was that they had what Whatley called the Junior Deacons League, composed of a half dozen teenagers. Our sincere condolences are offered to his family, friends, and coworkers.. This page was last edited on 3 April 2023, at 04:13. Although both the Deacons and its younger subgroup were secretive, they let members of the black community know they would protect them from the Klan and law enforcement. Donnie. According to the sheriff's office, it happened on June 23, 2019, in the. The suspects are identified as Jimmy ONeal Lewis and Cedric Tennessee. The sheriffs office said the incident happened on June 23 in the Ferriday area in northeast Louisiana. The following day Morris's shop was attacked. 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Man shoots woman, kills himself | Crime | hannapub.com Police investigating Labor Day homicide in Ferriday - NewsBreak 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. When the group began to phase out in Ferriday and the other towns by 1966, the FBI stopped keeping close tabs on the Deacons. A black businessman was burned to death in tiny Ferriday, La., in 1964. ", "We know what happened here. After a false KKK rumor that he had flirted with. Ferriday Police are investigating a suspected murder-suicide that happened Wednesday afternoon. Harp and colleagues also found a "slightly scorched" suitcase filled with fourteen and a half pints of bourbon. The sheriff said Theriot is cooperating with the investigation. A handful of members throughout the state also served as deacons within their churches, while others made their livings as teachers, construction workers, farm hands and general laborers. There have been allegations of witness intimidation, evidence tampering, and involvement by local law enforcement. 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. Part 1:A half-century ago in Jonesboro, armed black men fought back. According to the L.A. County . 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. [2] Three new subjects were identified, but the investigators did not uncover any credible physical evidence supporting the allegations. ( 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. That was not the only time Whatley helped an imprisoned black man in Ferriday. Morris, a black man who had . 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. [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. 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. 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 . Stanley Nelson is editor of the Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday, Louisiana. Ferriday police responded to shots fired at approximately noon Sunday and found a man deceased with gunshot wounds upon their arrival. . The sheriffs office says the incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide and that there are no suspects at large. As far as why this happened, that motive is still unclear," Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre said at the news conference. 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. Two killed in Ferriday | KTVE - myarklamiss.com 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. The newspapers the bourbon was wrapped in had no signs of burning, indicating tampering with the scene. "[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. Wed walk nights with rifles on our shoulders like you would see in some foreign countries, Whatley said. IE 11 is not supported. We know that [Morris] was the victim of a brutal murder and we want to figure out who did it and we want to figure out why they did it," Tom Perez, assistant attorney general who runs the civil rights division of the Department of Justice, said in an interview last week. He killed five people," Webre said. "[6][pageneeded], Ferriday locals thought highly of Morris, who was a community-centric man who gave many young black men their first paying job; Morris also hosted a radio gospel program. UPDATE: Joint investigation leads to arrest of Ferriday man involved in FERRIDAY, La. Blacks also became deputies and police officers. Frank Morris (1914-1964) 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. 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. 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. 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. 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". For years, David Whatley has wondered how men can be so motivated by hate. Two white CORE members, who practiced the non-violent approach championed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., were beaten. Morris, in particular, is featured in this text. Officials had said that Theriot was believed to have been Summers boyfriend, but her family strongly denies that they were dating. We will continue to update this story with more information as it develops. Updated: Aug 18, 2021 / 01:29 PM CDT. "We dont know if we will ever have a motive exactly why this happened.". The group was largely found in Mississippi and Louisiana, and was named for their practice of identifying themselves by carrying a silver dollar. I hate it for him and his family. Vidalia juvenile dies in fatal crash in Concordia Parish 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. CPSO investigates two shooting deaths on Lake St. John 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. Authorities say they have given full confessions and are both charged with murder. According to the Concordia Sentinel, the Ferriday Police Department began investigating the deaths of two people who were killed Wednesday afternoon. 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. This business serviced both black and white customers. The late Sammy Davis Jr. no relation to the famous entertainer was elected Ferridays first black mayor in 1984. "We just know what he did. 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. 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. FERRIDAY, La. 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.