Fires set on and near historically Black Jackson State University; arson suspected

[Auburn85 432]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fires-set-historically-black-jackson-state-university-arson-suspected-rcna56218

 

 

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By The Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — Authorities in Mississippi’s capital city are on the hunt for a suspected arsonist who set several fires early Tuesday morning on and near the campus of Jackson State University, a historically Black public college.

News outlets reported at least seven overnight fires were confirmed by officials. At least two of the buildings set ablaze were churches. Another one of the fires broke out on Jackson State University’s baseball field.

 

“I’ve been here for 30 years. This is a major occurrence,” Patrick Armon, assistant fire chief for the Jackson Fire Department, told WAPT-TV. “This is not something we normally go to. We have about a third of our department on sites.”

Firefighters respond to a fire near Jackson State University on Nov. 7, 2022.WLBT

No injuries were reported. Authorities are searching for one suspect, according to Armon and the Jackson Police Department. They did not provide the person’s name or a suspected motivation behind the fires.

Officials started to receive calls about several fires starting around 2:45 a.m. Officials said six of the seven fires were put out by 6 a.m. One church burned for more than four hours before the fire was extinguished.

With an election Tuesday morning, no polling places were reported to have been impacted by the fire.

 

 

[Auburn85 432]

https://www.wapt.com/article/arsonists-streak-included-one-of-mississippis-oldest-black-lutheran-churches-member-says/41900651

 

 

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Arsonist's streak included one of Mississippi's oldest Black Lutheran churches, member says

Madeleine Nolan

Reporter

 

JACKSON, Miss. —

An arsonist went on a spree early Tuesday, setting fire to seven structures, including two churches near the Jackson State campus.

"This was like a home church, and it brought families together," said a longtime member of Epiphany Lutheran Church. "It educated us. This was like a village, and I just hate that this village has been destroyed. But it's going to move on."

The church member didn't want to be identified, but she, like many others in the west Jackson community, was mourning the total loss of her church and the severe fire damage done to a historic section of Greater Bethlehem Temple Church.

Both of the churches are pillars for the community.

"This church has been here since back in the 1940s. It's one of the oldest predominately Black Lutheran churches in the state of Mississippi," said Epiphany church member Bobby Hathorne. "This is a shock to us that something like this could happen."

Ervin Ricks, communications director for Greater Bethlehem Temple Church said the children's Sunday school area was damaged by the fire.

"We can't always understand why people do evil, but we know that it's our job. It's our job to overcome evil with good. That's why we're committed to continue to help this community," Ricks said.

Ricks said church surveillance video captured the arsonist on camera. That video was handed over to the Jackson Police Department for investigation.

 

 

[Auburn85 432]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/11/08/jackson-mississippi-arson-fires-black-churches/8309304001/

 

 

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Suspect arrested after setting 7 fires in Jackson, Mississippi, including 2 at Black churches: authorities

Joshua Williams

Authorities say a suspect was arrested Tuesday in a string of fires that were deliberately set across Jackson, Mississippi that left two historically Black churches damaged — including one that was completely destroyed. 

Hinds County Sheriff's Office deputies say the arson suspect, Delvin McLaurin, was arrested after seven fires were intentionally set early Tuesday morning in the area of Jackson State University, a historically Black public university. 

A spokesperson for the Jackson Police Department said he is being charged with felony malicious mischief. He is being questioned by the FBI and may face additional charges.

The locations of the seven fires were:

• Greater Bethlehem Temple Church at 1505 Robinson Road
• Epiphany Lutheran Church at 1230 Isaiah Montgomery Street
• Baseball Field on Jackson State University campus
• Gas Station on Terry Road
• Central Street and Dalton
• 1101 Pascagoula Street
• Terry Road and Cherry Street

Officials started to receive calls about several fires starting around 2:45 a.m. Officials said six of the seven fires were put out by 6 a.m. Epiphany Lutheran Church, one of the oldest predominately Black Lutheran churches in Mississippi, burned for more than four hours before the fire was extinguished.

Lloyd Caston, 73, an elder at Epiphany, was awoken around 4 a.m. by a call from a family member who lives in the church’s neighborhood. Alerted to the fire, he left his home and arrived at the church around 4:30 a.m. to find the building “fully enflamed.”

“I was hurt,” Caston said as he thought back to seeing the church on fire.

The fire department was on the scene attempting to put out the fire when Caston arrived. He stayed about an hour and left before the fire was extinguished. “There wasn’t nothing we could do but sit and watch,” Caston said. “That was it.”

“It destroyed the church and everything in it,” Caston said. The church is 85 years old, and renovations to the building’s interior had just been completed in March.

 

 

The fire at Greater Bethlehem Temple Church also left damage. Ervin Ricks, communications director for the church, told ABC 16 the area of the church that housed Sunday school for children was damaged in the blaze. 

"We can't always understand why people do evil, but we know that it's our job. It's our job to overcome evil with good. That's why we're committed to continue to help this community," Ricks told the outlet.

Patrick Armon, assistant Jackson fire chief, said he received the news about the fires around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. Jackson police, investigating the crimes as arson, identified McLaurin as a suspect. Police spokesman Sam Brown said McLaurin was in the area of the fires during the hours they were set.

The city and police department posted his image on social media, and they warned that the suspect was considered dangerous but not armed. He was captured several hours later. 

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said at Tuesday's city council meeting that the fires are "believed to be arson."

Responding to speculation that the timing may be election related Lumumba said, "it is too early in the investigation to know what the motive may be."

No polling places were affected, Armon said.

Democratic congressional candidate Shuwaski Young of District 3 released a statement early Tuesday morning, calling the fires acts of "terrorism."

"This morning several churches were burned in Jackson, Mississippi on Election Day," the statement read. "These cowardly actions invoke historical acts of terrorism when people are fighting for their right to vote and live peacefully as Americans and Mississippians. We will not be deterred and will not be intimidated. We will not allow domestic terrorists to suppress our right to vote. I ask all Mississippians to go vote regardless of this decades old intimidation tactic to suppress our votes today. Just go vote."

Jackson officials did not connect the fires with an attempt to affect Tuesday's election.

Contributing: Freelance writer Ed Inman; Associated Press

 

 

[autigeremt 6,603]

[homersapien 11,369]

Back to the future.

Mississippi is apparently stuck in a "history loop".

[autigeremt 6,603]

On 11/9/2022 at 6:50 PM, homersapien said:

Back to the future.

Mississippi is apparently stuck in a "history loop".

Did young black men set fires to these places in the past? 

[homersapien 11,369]

13 hours ago, autigeremt said:

Did young black men set fires to these places in the past? 

Nope.  I guess that's Mississippi "progress".

[The Freak 2,528]

28 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Nope.  I guess that's Mississippi "progress".

What did you do, delete your last response?

[homersapien 11,369]

44 minutes ago, The Freak said:

What did you do, delete your last response?

Yep.  I re-read EMT's post and decided it wasn't appropriate.

Thanks for noticing.