From the article above:
“The Facebook Live video footage, captured by Fingerprint Urban Dance Studio instructor Micheal Curry, shows the instructor and two Fingerprint dancers taking turns performing downtown near the intersection of Main and Independence streets.”
“About four minutes into the video, a dark-colored SUV can be seen entering the frame and stopping in the westbound lane of Independence Street. An adult male passenger is seen exiting the SUV and approaching the 12-year-old dancer from behind, then immediately punching the juvenile in the head.”
The victim was a member of the dance studio team and was under adult supervision at the time. The video shows him getting up to perform just after a black member of the team finished his routine and sat down. The sidewalk is the traditional performance space for this type of dancing, I guess.
The article is wrong about how the attack was carried out. The victim turned toward the SUV when he heard it stop. The assailant dismounted and began making dance moves as he approached, putting the victim at ease. The victim turned back to his original position facing away from him and only then did the assailant sucker punch him with a right hand roundhouse.
I like the fact that the DA doesn’t want to downgrade the assault charges because he can get more punishment for 2nd degree assault than for 3rd degree assault even with a hate crime enhancement.
Right...
The public has understandably expressed a desire to see Moore charged with a hate crime for this heinous crime,” Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Joey Hann stated in the Monday news release, “but in accordance with state statutes, this charge would only apply if the assault was categorized to a lesser degree, which would not be in the best interest of seeking true justice for the victim.”