Ben Crump To Represent Family Of Teen Injured During Troy Arrest

Ben Crump To Represent Family Of Teen Injured During Troy Arrest

Above Photo: Jamelle Bouie/ Flickr

Florida-based attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, will represent a teenager who was allegedly beaten by a Troy police officer during an arrest Saturday, according to a statement from attorneys issued today.

Crump and and attorneys Dustin Fowler and Stephen Etheredge of Buntin, Etheredge and Fowler in Dothan will represent 17-year-old Ulysses KeAndre Wilkerson, the attorneys said in a statement Thursday.

In the statement, the attorneys said they were retained by Wilkerson’s family.

“We will do everything in our power to seek justice for Ulysses Wilkerson, an African-American teenager who was brutally beaten at the hands of police in Troy, Alabama, on the night of Dec. 23,” Crump and Fowler said in a statement.

The attorneys said Wilkerson’s mother, Angela Williams, will be making a statement Friday. They said a time and location have not been determined.

“The family is adamant about the community staying engaged to help seek for justice for their 17-year-old son. This is not just a matter of black and white, it is a matter of humanity,” attorneys said.

Crump and Fowler have been communicating with the State Bureau of Investigations, which is investigating the case. SBI approved the Troy Police Department’s request to investigate the incident Tuesday evening.

Troy police have not yet identified the teen, but people identifying as the teen’s family and friends have posted photos of Wilkerson and information consistent with the details of the encounter with officers.

According to a report from WSFA, police say a 17-year-old was seen walking behind a business in the city’s downtown area late Saturday evening, around 11 p.m.

Officers exited their patrol vehicles to engage with the teenager when he began to flee on foot, reports say. Once the teenager was apprehended, police allege he failed to cooperate with officers’ requests.

Police say the juvenile reached for his waistband, as if to go for a weapon, prompting physical force.

The teen was charged with obstructing governmental operations and resisting arrest. He was taken to a medical facility with serious injuries.

The posts identify the teenager as 17-year-old KeAndre Wilkerson, affectionately known as “Fat Daddy”, including a post from a user alleging to be the young man’s father. The post, includes graphic photos of the teenager, taken from the hospital.

Requests for comment and phone calls to the Troy Police Department placed earlier this week have not been returned as of Thursday evening.

Source Article from https://popularresistance.org/ben-crump-to-represent-family-of-teen-injured-during-troy-arrest/

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