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. television news business printing advertising agency