Local sheriff asks FBI to investigate death of Black man found hanging
in Alabama
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[November 02, 2024]
By SAFIYAH RIDDLE
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The FBI is investigating the death of a Black
man in Alabama, who was found hanging in an abandoned house, following a
request from a local sheriff amid fears among community members who
accuse local law enforcement of longstanding, unchecked misconduct.
Sheriff's deputies found Dennoriss Richardson, 39, in September in a
rural part of Colbert County, miles away from his home in Sheffield, a
city of approximately 10,000 people near the Tennessee River.
The Colbert County Sheriff's Office ruled Richardson’s death a suicide.
But Richardson’s wife, Leigh Richardson, has said that is not true,
explaining her husband did not leave a note and had no connection to the
house where he was found.
Instead, the 40-year-old fears her husband’s death was related to a
lawsuit he filed against the local police department in February.
Dennoriss Richardson, who coached kids in baseball and football, had
alleged he was assaulted, denied medical attention, sprayed with tear
gas and shocked with a Taser while in jail.
Leigh Richardson said she is not accusing a specific person but is
adamant her husband didn't kill himself.
She is not alone in her belief. Widespread skepticism about Richardson’s
death underscores deep-seated distrust of local law enforcement in
Colbert County. In a region where hanging invokes a long history of
state-sanctioned lynchings for Black people, residents in the county
allege a pattern of excessive force among local law enforcement.
Sheriff Eric Balentine, who confirmed the FBI accepted his request to
investigate, said his department “exhausted all resources” in its
investigation.
“We feel confident in what our findings were, but we feel like by doing
this we can give the family more peace of mind,” Balentine said.
A spokesperson for the FBI's field office in Birmingham confirmed the
FBI is aware of Dennoriss Richardson's death and is reviewing the
allegations of criminal misconduct.
Tori Bailey, the president of the local NAACP chapter and the only Black
member of the six-person county commission in Colbert County, said the
community’s reaction to Richardson's death was partially informed by the
region’s harrowing history with lynchings.
In Alabama, there were 359 reported lynchings between 1877 and 1943,
according to the Equal Justice Initiative, a criminal justice reform
nonprofit. In Colbert County alone, there were 11.
Bailey said, although there may be nothing to these accusations, it
makes sense the community would have a “visceral” reaction to a Black
man hanging and want a more thorough investigation. She said while some
officers are trying to do the right thing, in her 12 years as NAACP
president she has documented and investigated many cases of excessive
force in the county.
“There has long been a kind of disconnect between communities of color
and law enforcement. Unfortunately, many of us do not feel that law
enforcement is actually there to serve and protect,” Bailey said.
Marvin Long, a 57-year-old Black man and lifelong Colbert County
resident, knew Dennoriss Richardson’s family well growing up. He shares
the skepticism about the suicide ruling and said Richardson’s death has
intensified his fear of retaliation.
“To this day I hate seeing a police car,” Long said. “I’m still more
afraid now than ever.”
Long sued the Sheffield Police department last year. After he inquired
about an unrelated arrest taking place just outside his property in
2021, body camera footage appears to show officers following Long to his
house, dragging him down his porch steps and siccing the police K9 on
him as he screams for help. Long was unarmed, according to the
complaint.
Richardson and Long are among five Black and Latino men represented by
civil rights attorney Roderick Van Daniel who have filed lawsuits
against the department in recent years.
“Citizens are living in fear of retaliation,” Van Daniel said.
In one case, an off-duty Sheffield police officer was caught on
surveillance footage punching and pulling a gun on a Black man at a
liquor store. The officer was later convicted of assault and menacing
and reckless endangerment. He was fired from the department.
In a separate lawsuit, a 57-year-old chiropractor claims he was shocked
with a Taser 18 times while in handcuffs after he asked an officer to
help him find his wife’s iPhone. Photos included in the suit show
several large burn marks allegedly from the assault.
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This undated photo provided by Leigh Richardson shows Dennoriss
Richardson with three of their five kids. (Leigh Richardson via AP)
The Sheffield Police Department did not respond to numerous phone
calls and emails seeking comment. Lawyers for the officers named in
pending lawsuits did not respond to emails.
Balentine, the sheriff since 2023, declined to comment on specific
cases. But he said that based on his almost 30 years as an officer
in the area, he thought residents in Colbert County generally
trusted law enforcement.
“If it’s proven that it was excessive, then I’m sure that there will
be accountability,” he said.
Still, Balentine said he hoped the FBI investigation would help
assuage concerns.
“Transparency is always a good way to mend some fences with the
community,” he said.
Leigh Richardson had known her husband since he was 17. She
remembers Dennoriss, known affectionately as “Na-Na,” as a warm
father to their five children. But she also said his fear of the
police was not new.
“He was scared at that young age,” Richardson said.
Richardson said that after filing the lawsuit her husband was
frequently stopped by police. In those months, he was “trying to
stay out of the way,” she said.
Sheffield Mayor Steve Stanley said Dennoriss Richardson had come to
his office at least once to express concerns that he was being
profiled. Stanley said he assured Richardson that any officers
reported through official channels would be investigated.
The Sheffield Police Department did not confirm whether or how
frequently the department pulled over Richardson.
Court records show Dennoriss Richardson had a long history of
run-ins with local law enforcement, but the majority of the charges
in federal and state courts did not stick.
Dennoriss Richardson pleaded guilty to drug possession in 2006 and
was sentenced to five years in prison. In more than 15 years since
then, court records show Richardson was arrested at least six
additional times by the Sheffield Police Department, for charges
ranging from disorderly conduct to robbery to assault.
None of those charges, except for a traffic violation for expired
tags, resulted in a conviction, according to available court
records.
In the same week that Richardson filed his lawsuit against the
department, he was charged with trafficking meth. He had been
arrested in a house where drugs allegedly were found. Richardson was
out on bond when he died.
Stanley said he firmly supports holding officers accountable for
misconduct but emphasized his overwhelming confidence in them.
“I have preached and believe that the majority of officers, at
least, recognize that everybody deserves respect,” Stanley said.
Still, amid the looming investigation, uncertainty in the community
prevails.
In early October, Richardson’s friends and family filled the pews of
the small Trinity Memorial Funeral Home to commemorate his life. The
singing and sermons were punctuated by calls for justice.
At the pulpit, Van Daniel, Richardson’s attorney, said Richardson
“believed in transparency and accountability. He stood up against
police misconduct.”
There was a steady chorus of “amens” from the crowd as Van Daniel
spoke.
“His family and the Sheffield community deserve answers," he said.
"We deserve answers.”
___
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or
someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis
lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.
___
Riddle is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America
Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit
national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms
to report on undercovered issues.
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