This Could Be Another Jena. We Need Your Help!
On December 8th, 17-year-old Billey Joe Johnson died from a gunshot wound to the head. Police say he killed himself with a shotgun after being stopped for a simple traffic violation in Lucedale, Mississippi.1 Several things seem to cast doubt on the official story, including an independent investigation that concluded it would have been impossible for the shot that killed Johnson to have been self-inflicted. Many on the ground smell a murder and a cover-up.
>Billey Joe was at his former girlfriend's house minutes before the killing.2 He never entered the house, but police were called to respond to an attempted burglary there.3 This fact was not a part of the original story given by the police.
>Billey Joe's family says that his ex-girlfriend had been staying at her father's house because her mother threw her out for dating Billey Joe (she is White and Billey Joe was Black). They said Billey Joe knew to only go to the house when the girl's father was not present, that the two of them were on good terms even after they had broken up, and that the breakup was largely because of pressure from her father. The family also claims that there is a relationship between the officer present at the scene of Billey Joe's death and the girl's father.
>A witness heard two shots, not one, at the scene where Billey Joe died, according to an independent investigation launched by the Mississippi NAACP. The pathologist in that investigation has indicated that it would be impossible for a bullet from a self-inflicted shot to enter in the manner that it did. He also said that given the length of Billey Joe's arms and the length of the shotgun, it would have been impossible for him to hold the weapon and fire it at himself.
>Billey Joe was a star athlete with scholarship offers from more than half a dozen schools. No one--including family, friends, and coaches--could think of a reason that Billey Joe would want to end his life.4,5,6
A true investigation would sort out fact from rumor...Can you lend your voice to demand justice for Billey Joe?
http://colorofchange.org/billeyjoe/?id=186...
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, William, Dani, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
February 6th, 2009
References:
1. "Mississippi family looks for answers in son's death," USA Today, 12-22-08
http://tinyurl.com/aul9hd
2. "Autopsy not completed in football star's death," The Sun Herald, 1-06-09
http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/10506...
3. Police report and radio logs detailing events leading up to Johnson's death, posted on WKRG-TV website
http://www.wkrg.com/news/flash_paper/12_19...
4. "CNN Newsroom: Mystery Death in Mississippi," CNN, 12-17-08
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/081...
5. "Mississippi running back Billey Joe Johnson, Jr. ran for 1,559 yards and 24 touchdowns before his death in December," Collin Mickle-Press-Register, 1-11-09
http://tinyurl.com/cs7cjm
6. "Player's death report leaves many puzzled," The Sun Herald, 12-21-08
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_112...
>Billey Joe was at his former girlfriend's house minutes before the killing.2 He never entered the house, but police were called to respond to an attempted burglary there.3 This fact was not a part of the original story given by the police.
>Billey Joe's family says that his ex-girlfriend had been staying at her father's house because her mother threw her out for dating Billey Joe (she is White and Billey Joe was Black). They said Billey Joe knew to only go to the house when the girl's father was not present, that the two of them were on good terms even after they had broken up, and that the breakup was largely because of pressure from her father. The family also claims that there is a relationship between the officer present at the scene of Billey Joe's death and the girl's father.
>A witness heard two shots, not one, at the scene where Billey Joe died, according to an independent investigation launched by the Mississippi NAACP. The pathologist in that investigation has indicated that it would be impossible for a bullet from a self-inflicted shot to enter in the manner that it did. He also said that given the length of Billey Joe's arms and the length of the shotgun, it would have been impossible for him to hold the weapon and fire it at himself.
>Billey Joe was a star athlete with scholarship offers from more than half a dozen schools. No one--including family, friends, and coaches--could think of a reason that Billey Joe would want to end his life.4,5,6
A true investigation would sort out fact from rumor...Can you lend your voice to demand justice for Billey Joe?
http://colorofchange.org/billeyjoe/?id=186...
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, William, Dani, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
February 6th, 2009
References:
1. "Mississippi family looks for answers in son's death," USA Today, 12-22-08
http://tinyurl.com/aul9hd
2. "Autopsy not completed in football star's death," The Sun Herald, 1-06-09
http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/10506...
3. Police report and radio logs detailing events leading up to Johnson's death, posted on WKRG-TV website
http://www.wkrg.com/news/flash_paper/12_19...
4. "CNN Newsroom: Mystery Death in Mississippi," CNN, 12-17-08
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/081...
5. "Mississippi running back Billey Joe Johnson, Jr. ran for 1,559 yards and 24 touchdowns before his death in December," Collin Mickle-Press-Register, 1-11-09
http://tinyurl.com/cs7cjm
6. "Player's death report leaves many puzzled," The Sun Herald, 12-21-08
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_112...
