JACKSON, Miss. –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and the family of Rasheem Carter released the following statement concerning public claims made by Simpson County DA, Chris Hennis, about the Rasheem Carter case:
“It’s time to cut through the political drama, focus on the facts, and commit to transparency. Let’s look at the facts: Rasheem, a young, healthy Black man, was beheaded and his remains have been found in three locations so far. He went to the police twice before he died to complain of being chased by white men in pickup trucks, and the last text he sent to his mother implied that his life was in danger.
“Rasheem’s family deserves and demands to know what happened to him. Every lead should be pursued and every conclusion backed up by evidence. Bystander video tells us that police examined the most recent unidentified remains. If they were all animal and not human, as the D.A. claims, they need to share the laboratory evidence and not ask the family to simply trust their word. After all, the Sheriff originally suggested to Rasheem’s mother that he must have become dehydrated and his body was ripped apart by animals, before he finally admitted that he couldn’t rule out foul play, which was shortly after she hired her legal team who challenged that outlandish theory.
“Our goal is to build trust with local officials, but that depends on a robust and energetic investigation by officials and absolute transparency with the family. We have been in this position – where a Black person is killed and the crime is swept under the rug – too many times before to sit by quietly without answers. The family and the Black community refuse to be well-behaved victims.”
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
