Back in May, a Nebraska man named Jake Gardner was allegedly assaulted, along with his elderly father, by Black Lives Matter protesters outside their family-owned bar.
In the scuffle, Gardner shot and killed a young black man named James Scurlock, who had reportedly climbed onto his back and put him in a choke hold.
Charges against Gardener were not pursued on the grounds of self-defense, but now a grand jury has reversed that decision and indicted Gardner.
Jordan Michaels reports at Guns America Digest:
Grand Jury Reverses Self-Defense Decision, Indicts Omaha Man for Manslaughter During BLM RiotAn Omaha man who was initially determined to have acted in self-defense is now being charged by a grand jury with manslaughter along with three additional felonies.The 16-member grand jury indicted Jake Gardner for his role in the killing of 22-year-old James Scurlock during an altercation at a Black Lives Matter protest and riot in May. Gardner has been charged with manslaughter, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, attempted first-degree assault and making terroristic threats.Immediately following the incident, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine announced that he would not be filing charges against Gardner. He told the media that his investigation, which included a review of surveillance footage, indicated that Gardner acted in self-defense.But Kleine received complaints from citizens, according to KMTV, and he agreed to appoint special prosecutor Frederick Franklin III and form a grand jury…“[The grand jury] had much more information available to them than [Kleine] had at the time that the original decision was made,” Franklin said. “That evidence can be reasonably construed as an intent to use a firearm for purposes of killing someone.”
This local news report breaks down the basics:
I don’t know if this is a plot twist, but it certainly seems worth mentioning. When I was doing research for this story, I was surprised to learn that Jake Gardner was a volunteer worker on Trump’s 2016 campaign in Michigan, Nebraska, and California. I had not heard this in prior reports.
Could this have something to do with the complaints received by the county attorney and the appointment of a special prosecutor? Would anyone really be surprised?
The left clearly wants Gardner prosecuted:
This is the bottom line:
It sounds like the activist left complained and put pressure on authorities until they caved and found a way to charge Gardner.
Featured image via YouTube.
[FS: edited for clarity]
Terrible news. Jake Gardner has committed suicide:
Jake Gardner, accused of manslaughter for the shooting death of James Scurlock this summer, has died by suicide according to Gardner’s attorney, Stu Dornan.A warrant for Gardner’s arrest was issued after a grand jury indicted him for manslaughter and other charges related to the death of James Scurlock. Gardner did not turn himself in after the warrant was issued.Gardner was in Oregon. He was supposed to turn himself in today.Gardner, 38, was also facing charges of attempted first-degree assault, threats and using a weapon while committing a felony.
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