Black Texas Teen Allegedly Shocked With Stun Gun By Suspected High School Students Dressed In KKK Robes On Halloween
The lawyer representing a Black teenager from Texas accused high school students wearing Ku Klux Klan costumes of firing a stun gun at his client on Halloween.
Speaking at a Nov. 10 news conference, attorney Matt Manning said his client was not seriously injured, according to the Associated Press. Those involved were believed to be students at a school in Woodsboro, located 30 miles north of Corpus Christi.
Up to six victims, all juveniles, were assaulted. His client was the only one who was shocked with a stun gun. But the alleged perpetrators terrorized all of them.
He underscored that the attack went beyond a typical Halloween prank.
“For you to dress up as a Klansman, you have a specific intent of terrorizing,” the lawyer. “That’s not an accident. That’s not kids being kids. That’s not boys being boys. That’s not hazing or high school hijinks. High school hijinks are egging somebody’s house, not dressing up as a Klansman and Tasing them.”
Manning stated that three teens on the Woodsboro High School football team are believed to have dressed in the Klan robes and attacked the victims, according to KRIS.
At the press conference, the attorney said he doesn’t know the race of the assailants. However, the local NAACP President Jeremy Lane Coleman stated that it appeared to be a hate crime.
Meanwhile, Woodsboro Superintendent Ronald D. Segers Jr. said in a Facebook post that the alleged incident didn’t happen at school, and the Halloween night event was not a school-sponsored activity.
"While we are deeply disappointed that any of our students might find this type of behavior acceptable, the district cannot discipline students for this type of conduct when it occurs off-campus," his statement said.
Segers added that the school district would cooperate with the police criminal investigation.
Refugio County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about a teen shocked with a device, the AP reported. However, there were no immediate arrests or criminal charges. The investigation was ongoing.
