Domestic Terrorist Targeting Black Men has Been Found
A week of terror in Baton Rouge has finally come to an end. As a 23 year old man (Kenneth Gleason) was charged on four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. These three charges committed by Gleason are believed to be done because of racial differences and in light of recent events it is adding fuel to the fire. The two African American men murdered were Bruce Cofield, 59, and Donald Smart, 49.
According to Baton Rouge Police reports, both killings were very similar. The killing of Bruce Cofield, homeless man, happened September 12 between 10:30 and 11:00 pm and the killing of Donald Smart, a family man with 3 children, happened two days later around the same time. Both were killed the same way, shot from a vehicle till seen down, then Gleason would stand over them and shoot them multiple times. According to the manager at where Smart worked at, Smart was a “without peer” man and should be remembered for more than just another murder victim.
Kenneth Gleason was caught and released twice before being charged with four counts of murder. Gleason was first taken into custody when he and his vehicle matched the descriptions. Search warrants were then issued, which led to Gleason’s arrest on two drug counts. He was later posted on a $3,500 bond and was released from prison Sunday. On Monday Gleason was again arrested on a petty theft charge, which for he was released on a $500 bond early Tuesday.
Later on that same day, thanks to advance in technology, DNA evidence that was recovered from a shell casings at one of the crime scenes, were linked to Gleason. Then he was finally arrested and also linked to a charge of attempted murder, in which he shot into a home on his neighborhood. Where luckily none of the two people in the home were injured.
BRPD said they were fortunate enough to have found DNA evidence on the shell casings before Kenneth Gleason could have had another chance to murder anyone else. According to Baton Rouge Interim Police Chief Jonny Dunnam if not arrested Gleason would have “potentially created a tear in the fabric that holds this community together”. This is very true especially in Baton Rouge, a community that was roiled in the police shooting of Alton Sterling, an African American, back in 2016.
Although Baton Rouge police have previously said that the shootings may have been racially motivated, they have yet to actually determined this. On Tuesday they said they would keep this as an ongoing investigation, rather than speculate on a motive.
