What a crazy story. Over the weekend, America was outraged and sickened when they found out a 20-year-old black woman from Louisiana had seemingly been the victim of a hate crime, being burned alive by “3 men in white hoodies,” who wrote “KKK” and “N*gger” on her car. Sharmeka Moffitt had called 911 from the park she had been walking in, and was taken to the hospital where doctors determined that she’d have to stay there for at least a month to undergo surgery for the severe burns covering over 60% of her body. She received an outpouring of love from all over, including receiving close to 50k likes as of 9:30pm EST tonight on a support page created on Facebook. Her mom spoke out with a tearful statement yesterday, adding “I have never known anything like this to happen in Winnsboro.” Now the story has taken a twisted turn, after police and FBI investigations determined it was Sharmeka herself that wrote the hateful words on her own car and lit herself on fire. Details below from the police’s findings and the statement her family has since released with the new updates. Prayers with them in this difficult time!
Via News-Star:
Police now believe it was Moffitt who wrote “KKK” and “nigger” on the hood of her Buick LaCross with toothpaste and then set fire to herself. She told police she couldn’t identify the race of those she claimed had attacked her. She called 911 from the park.
Via Global Grind:
The Franklin Sun reports evidence from the State Police Crime Lab, which shows Moffitt’s fingerprints were on both the cigarette lighter and lighter fluid found near the scene at Civitan Park.
The statement from her family:
Our family is devastated to learn the circumstances surrounding our daughter’s injuries. While this was not the resolution we had expected, it is a resolution, and we appreciate the thorough investigation by the local and state police as well as federal agencies.
We are sincerely sorry for any problems this may have caused and wish to express our appreciation for the outpouring of love, prayers and support we have received from friends, acquaintances, church organizations and government officials. Over the coming days and weeks, our focus will be on Sharmeka and her recovery. We ask that you continue to pray for her and for our family, and that you respect our privacy at this difficult time.