Black Cyclist In Mississippi Arrested After Shooting White Man Who Attacked Him: What About ‘Stand Your Ground’?

A Black man is in police custody and a white man is in the hospital suffering from a gunshot wound following a “series of altercations” in Adams County, Mississippi, that, apparently, began with a group of white men physically attacking the Black man earlier in the day.

According to the Natchez Democrat, sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene of an altercation near a party in the area of the 100 block of Deerfield Road in Adams County Friday evening, but before they had even arrived at the scene, they had been informed that someone had been shot. A preliminary investigation found that two separate incidents in the area led to the shooting. In the first incident, part of which was caught on video, Reginald Butler, the Black man, was being attacked by multiple white men before he fled the scene on his bicycle. Later, on a bridge about a mile away from where the initial encounter took place, according to WLBT 3, one of the white men reportedly approached Butler again, which quickly proved to be a mistake on his part.

From WLBT:

According to witness statements, the individual exited a vehicle and confronted Butler. The confrontation escalated into a physical altercation, during which the subject began to assault Butler.

In response, Butler fired several shots, hitting the individual in the chest and also striking the vehicle once.

Both Butler and the gunshot victim fled the scene following the incident.

Butler was later found at his home and taken into custody.

The gun believed to have been used in the shooting was also recovered.

Emergency medical services took the gunshot victim to the Kingston Ball Field, where he was airlifted to a medical facility for treatment.

Butler was taken to the hospital by deputies to receive treatment for injuries sustained during the earlier assault.

Cameron Taunton has been identified as one of the individuals involved in the initial assault on Butler.

He has been charged with simple assault causing bodily injury.

Reginald Butler is currently being held at the Adams County Jail on aggravated assault charges.

Now, every Black person reading this story is probably asking the same question: Why exactly is Butler charged?

Mississippi is one of 38 states that have implemented “Stand Your Ground” laws, the kind of legislation that notoriously justified the killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida. They’re also laws that Black people have, for years, argued are not equally applied when Black victims of an attack have made the decision to stand their ground and defend themselves.

After all, according to the Democrat, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that when Butler was confronted for a second time by one of the individuals who attacked him during the initial incident, that individual attacked him again before he fired shots.

“To the individuals whose identities were captured in these videos or whose voices can be heard on the videos, come to the sheriff’s office on Monday first thing, or we will be seeking you out and picking you up,” said Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten, who, after video footage of the initial altercation had been released, promised outraged community members that more arrests would be made. 

“We are deeply troubled by the recent incident involving the assault on Reginald Butler and the subsequent arrest of all parties involved,” Patten continued. “The emergence of videos has shed new light on the events that took place that day when three individuals unjustly attacked a man who was simply minding his own business. We recognize the profound pain, anger and frustration this has caused the entire community and we share in the outrage over this injustice. Hate has no place in our society and certainly not in our community that has made so much progress.”

Curiously, though, Patton also presented what some might argue was a pretty flimsy justification for Butler’s arrest.

More from WLBT:

As to why Butler is being held at the jail, Adams County Sheriff Travis Patton said that while the investigation is ongoing, initial evidence and witness statements indicate that the shooting followed “a series of altercations,” including Butler attempting to return to the scene after the initial assault, “which we now know isn’t completely accurate.”

“The decision to charge Butler with aggravated assault reflects the totality of circumstances at this stage,” the sheriff continued, “including whether the use of force met legal standards for self-defense under Mississippi law. All of this is being reviewed now that the video evidence has emerged and statements have changed.”

So, because Reginald Butler attempted to return to the public street where he was assaulted, which, in and of itself, isn’t illegal, he swiftly went from a victim to a charged suspect, despite law enforcement reporting that he was assaulted again before he fired a single shot. Black people might ask why Butler is already charged with aggravated assault if the case is still under review, if, again, we weren’t so well accustomed to being criminalized even when we’re the victims. 

Keep an eye on this story, folks. 

Click here to watch the video.

SEE ALSO:

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