The FBI is assisting Indiana officials in their investigation into last week’s beating of a Black man by multiple white men who used a racial slur, the sheriff and others stated at a press conference Wednesday.
An eyewitness video of Friday’s incident at Pike’s Pub, just outside of Fort Wayne, went viral on social media, showing multiple white men in biker garb with the words “Outlaws” punching and hitting the Black man to the ground. In the video, white guys and bystanders refer to the victim as the “n word,” and someone throws a chair at him.
Allen County Sheriff Troy Hershberger stated that the FBI would be collaborating with his office and acknowledged the community’s suffering as a result of the occurrence.
“It was an attack on who we are as a community,” Hershberger said during the press conference. “An attack like this strikes fear, anger, and pain into the hearts of many. And it does not just harm the person targeted, it sends a message of hate, intimidation, and division that ripples across every family, every neighborhood, and every person that calls Allen County home.”
He noted that community members’ emotions were strong, with some suggesting on social media that because the perpetrators were white, law enforcement would not pursue the matter.
“We are conducting a thorough and ongoing investigation and we are doing so in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to ensure every lead is followed, every fact is verified and we build the strongest case possible,” Hershberger said.
“Let me also be clear on this, nobody is above the law, no group, no individual, no affiliation, no one,” the sheriff continued. “This behavior will not be tolerated and does not reflect the values of our community….violence, especially rooted in hate, has no place here.”
Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker expressed confidence that the sheriff’s department will put in as much effort as possible in the investigation, and she urged residents to be patient while officials investigate what occurred.
“We see the passion, we feel the passion, and I know that you want quick justice, but what we need to do is make sure that we have thorough justice so that there is no dismissal on a technicality,” she said. “It takes time for facts to be uncovered, it takes time to go through the information that needs to be discovered, and it also takes time for a determination —, and through that time, I need your patience.”
Tucker continued, “I am not sure why anyone would choose to commit a crime in the city of Fort Wayne or in Allen County because one thing I can assure you, that we are not soft on crime …. because this is a community that we are building for our children, and we want our children to be safe in the community, along with everyone else.”
Allen County Prosecutor Michael McAlexander echoed the mayor’s and sheriff’s pleas for anyone who witnessed anything to come forward.
Meanwhile, the victim, identified by other news sites and a Change.org petition as James Simmons, was scheduled to speak out on the issue Thursday alongside Pastor Carlton Lynch of neighboring Benton Harbor, Michigan, according to a report.
Simmons did not respond to a Facebook message seeking comment.
Telephone inquiries to Pike’s Pub on Tuesday and Wednesday were unanswered, but bar owner Kelley Rost told WANE 15, “There are two sides to every story.”