“William Ronald Pulliam allegedly shot 15-year-old James Harvey Means twice in the abdomen with a .380 caliber revolver.” He admitted to killing the unarmed black teenager, telling the police, “The way I look at it, that’s another piece of trash off the street.” The two bumped into one another on East Washington and Nancy Street in front of the Dollar General store. Angry words were exchanged at that time a a short time later, when the teen was sitting on the front porch of a friend’s grandmother’s house. Apparently, Pulliam was known to harass neighborhood kids and there were regular arguments and encounters.
Pulliam was not supposed to have a firearm after prior domestic abuse charges for beating his pregnant daughter and his wife. He was quickly arrested and seemed surprised that he would not be released on bond. He will probably claim he was threatened by the teen. He might get off in WV too. In the past week or so, a man was found not guilty of killing an unarmed black teen strung out on drugs. This man shot at the drugged-out 21-year old black youth through his door and then opened the door and chased after him, shooting him in the back. www.herald-dispatch.com/… This case was highlighted with a “Stand Your Ground” defense expert, even though there is no such law in WV.
The FBI are looking into whether this was a hate crime. But surely it was a hateful action. Surely this young black life mattered, regardless of who the president is or will be. I wish I had confidence that the FBI wasn’t filled with corrupt, politically-motivated losers.
There is a Go Fund Me account to help pay for the funeral expenses of James Means. www.gofundme.com/… The picture posted shows the face of a child taken too soon by a man with a gun and a Clint Eastwood attitude. If you are able to make a small contribution, that might help his family in this difficult time.