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An elderly white man has been charged with murder in South Charleston, Ohio, after he shot and killed a Black woman who was the victim of the same scam call he had been scammed by.
According to NBC 4 Ohio, 81-year-old William Brock has been charged with the felony murder of Uber driver Lo-Letha Hall, and he might face additional charges, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
On March 25, Hall, 61, was killed in what should be a case study on the tragic results of the white American fantasy of vigilante justice—the very thing that arguably birthed the likes of Kyle Rittenhouse, George Zimmerman, and the three white men who participated in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Brock reportedly called Clark County sheriff’s deputies to report that he had shot Hall, who he can be seen on video holding at gunpoint and demanding he give her information she didn’t have on the scammers who allegedly set this entire tragedy in motion.
From NBC:
The sheriff’s office said when deputies and multiple other agencies arrived, they found Hall on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds, and Brock with injuries to his head and an ear.
Earlier, a male scammer had called Brock and told him one of his relatives was in jail. The scammer then threatened the 81-year-old man and demanded money. Simultaneously, that same scammer or an accomplice placed an order on the Uber app for Hall to pick up a package for delivery from Brock’s property. She wasn’t aware of the calls Brock had received when she arrived at his home, according to investigators.
The Uber driver was unarmed, did not make any threats or demands and did not attack Brock. Hall only approached Brock’s home and asked about the package she was sent to pick up through the app, the sheriff’s office said. In response, Brock pulled out a revolver and held her at gunpoint, demanding to know the identities of the scammers. He also took Hall’s phone to prevent her from making calls, and the sheriff’s office said Brock did not call 911 either.
When Hall tried to get in her car to get away, Brock shot her. During a struggle between the two at the car door, he shot her two more times, investigators noted. After this exchange, Brock called 911.
A 61-year-old woman is dead because a man felt entitled to play cop and, ultimately, judge, jury and executioner. Even if it never occurred to Brock that maybe a random Uber driver wasn’t in on the alleged extortion call, and was just doing her job—it’s not inconceivable that an octogenarian doesn’t exactly understand how Uber works, after all—he had ample time to call the police. Instead, Brock pointed a gun at Hall and held her by force, took her belongings, and then shot her when she fled, physically attacked her, and shot her again.
In a perfect world, this would be an open-and-shut case. In a world where Trayvon Martin’s killer is walking free, and Jordan Neely’s killer has the overwhelming support of white conservative vigilante-loving, Black Lives Matter-hating America, there’s really no predicting the outcome of a case like this.
As for now, Brock is out on bond set at $200,000 after pleading not guilty at arraignment last Wednesday and is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on April 22. If convicted, he faces up to a $15,000 fine and between 15 years to life in prison. Meanwhile, the scam call that started all of this is still being investigated by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
SEE ALSO:
What Happened To Ajike ‘AJ’ Owens? White Woman Kills Unarmed Black Mother Of 4
White Vigilantism: Murder Trials For Kyle Rittenhouse And Ahmaud Arbery’s Killers Spotlight Civilians Acting
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White Man Charged With Murdering Black Woman Uber Driver Over A Scam She Wasn’t Responsible For was originally published on newsone.com
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