Posted on 09/21/2020 8:52:19 AM PDT by lowbridge
A white bar-owner in Nebraska committed suicide months after he fatally shot a black rioter who vandalized his business and attacked him.
Though prosecutors originally deemed the shooting was in self-defense after reviewing video and witness testimony, the position was reversed after pressure.
“Mr. [Jake] Gardner, as we know now, has said I did what I did to defend myself and we find that we can’t disprove that from the evidence that we have,” Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said in June.
According to Kleine, James Scurlock, the victim, jumped on Gardner’s back and started to choke him after Gardner fired two warning shots in front of his business during the height of violent George Floyd protests in May.
“Words are exchanged and Gardner ends up on his back in the middle of the street when the shots are fired, including the one that hit Scurlock in the neck and killed him,” the New York Post reported at the time.
Then things changed earlier this month.
Kleine asked the grand jury to take a look at the case after his decision was criticized, saying he wanted people to have faith in the justice system. Critics had said that Scurlock was just trying to stop Gardner from hurting anyone. (NY Post)
Gardner was then indicted on several counts: “manslaughter, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, attempted first-degree assault and terroristic threats,” KETV reports.
On Sunday, he was found dead outside a medical clinic near Portland, Oregon, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
Lawfare. The majority of courts are enemies of the people.
omg.....they will list it as a COVID death.
The DA wanted to make sure the jury could find him guilty on something or the mob would burn omaha down......
In other words .... they charged an innocent man with manslaughter because liberals called them racists and then made up some stuff about looking at videos and changing their minds so they didn't look like scumbags throwing a man's life away so they could virtue signal.
“The law” in America.
Poor guy-
They are using the full weight of the law to prevent people from interfering with the riots. Stand up to an insurgent and you will be prosecuted. Riot, throw deadly objects at police or counter protestors, destroy businesses, not so much.
The "jesters sistum" had better go shopping for body armor...
This critic says that Kleine is a coward.
That isn’t the worst thing to come of this. In fact it’s probably the least significant.
Hint: Do you think the Left is really going to leave his family alone even after he’s dead?
I actually think that the DA believed he was innocent, and that his actions were self-defense. The DA didn’t bring the charges, but caved to relentless social pressure of BLM sympathizers, to allow for a grand jury to convene.
This is so very sad. Then I am reading in the local newspaper today, and the entire article, which should be about Jake’s suicide and possibility of his innocence, and it is all written to further condemn Jake and suggest that he was some kind of paranoid nutcase.
I hope that the DA for going along with the additional investigation, as well as any on the grand jury, who thought he really should get off on self-defense, but figured it would all wash out in the trial.... they all need to suffer from guilt for contributing to Jake’s death.
Good points.....thanks.
Yes, what you said. And possibly some on the grand jury figured he would end up exonerated at trial, so they went along with the politically popular/liberal opinions.
His life was effectively destroyed months ago, but did not have to end this way.
This also fits into a plan against the second amendment. If they can’t ban guns and ammo, they are trying to ban USING guns to protect yourself.
Something's not right about this.
Comey was like this.
He prosecuted Martha Stewart year past. That was his big show, where he went after a celebrity but someone that was no risk to him politically. He would tell his story about that for years to come... of course it was all just ruthless self promotion.
Assholes like this are looking to make a name for themselves, at other peoples expense of course.
But it works!
People fall for it. They reward that sort of behavior.
Total scumbag, but he’ll talk about how he made sure “justice” was served, while in reality riding on the wave of the times and crushing some person that was defending himself.
The grand jury isn't there to determine innocence or guilt but probable cause. The grand jury determines if there is reasonable grounds to believe that a crime might have been committed while the petit jury at the trial makes the final determination.
The DA really wimped out here. With a gunshot victim after a physical altercation, the political situation, and the low standard of proof needed for an indictment, he must have known that an indictment being handed up was a predictable outcome. Of course, the DA is not obligated to prosecute despite the indictment but the political pressure on him had just ramped up dramatically. He tried to hide behind the grand jury but it just made his situation even worse. I hope the DA feels guilt about what happened because the suicide might have been avoided had the DA acted with courage.
Anarcho-tyranny plain and simple, using lawfare.
The government failed to do their job and protect his business from violent rioters. That’s the anarchy. Then, when forced to defend himself because of this government failure, he was tyrannized with prosecution for doing so.
This is despicable, and at minimum AUSA Frederick Franklin needs to be fired, and the judge impeached.
Local prosecutor passed due to obvious self-defense.
Democrat scum assigned a black thug “special prosecutor” to railroad the poor guy into prison.
Increasingly common along with Democrat violence in general - and Republican leaders say nothing.
We are on the cusp of a brutal dictatorship.
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