It should have been first-degree murder
by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.
Michael Dunn, a white man who fatally shot Black teenager Jordan Davis for refusing to turn down his ‘thug music,’ may be going to prison for the rest of his life.
It’s not a real victory because the jury didn’t convict him for killing Jordan Davis. They convicted him for almost killing his three friends who were in the car with him. They found Dunn guilty of three counts of second-degree murder and one count of shooting deadly missiles. Each attempted murder count carries a minimum sentence of 20 years. Evidently, someone on the jury believed that Davis’ cursing at Dunn and arguing over the volume of his music equaled a serious enough risk to make Dunn reasonably fear for his life.
Dunn took it upon himself to drive up to a convenience store in Jacksonville, and even with a number of empty spaces available, decided to park next to the one vehicle full of young Black men playing some thumping hip-hop music. Rather than avoid the music he hated, he parked right next to it.
And when Davis didn’t submit to his wishes to turn it down, Dunn didn’t like it. They had words. He didn’t like that either. Michael Dunn was not going to be sassed by a Black kid. Dunn reached into his glove compartment, pulled out his 9 mm handgun and started shooting at Davis and his friends and killed him.
Anyone who watched any part of this story, who isn’t biased or prejudiced, would arrive at the conclusion that this was first-degree murder. What else could have been presented to the jury to help them see that this was cold-blooded murder? Imagine if you had been sitting in that car. By chance only one child was killed. Do you think if two or more had been killed that would have made the difference?
I’m hoping they really pursue trying Dunn again because this is the right thing to do. In the 21st century in America, no case should be decided by the color of your skin. In a court of law, fairness should be the rule. It will be interesting to know which juror did not want to convict on first-degree for killing Jordan Davis.
email: jjlewis@birminghamtimes.com
