Jonathan Felkel, a White Man from South Carolina, was captured in surveillance video that showed him firing his rifle at a Black man who was jogging by the side of the road. Felkel also shouted racially charged statements at the Black man. He has now been arrested and faces a $1 million bond.
As reported by WRDW and WLTX, police have mentioned that the crime took place on July 17, at 6 a.m. in Richland County. The surveillance video that captured Felkel shooting the rifle, showed that he was seated inside his car in front of a gated community and when the Black man jogged by, he grabbed the weapon and fired.
Felkel has been charged with hate intimidation, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, as reported by Atlanta Black Star. The video further showed that he shouted, “Keep running, boy” to the victim.
After his arrest, when Felkel was asked about the crime he had committed, he said, “he was by himself, so I was really going to do something at first and then.” When he was asked to elaborate on his statement, he added, “I was going to shoot at him. I was. I was going to shoot at him.”
Felkel’s statement made it clear that he had taken the decision of shooting based on the other person’s skin color. Interestingly, both him and his victim, who was fortunately not physically harmed by Felkel’s attack, share the same neighborhood but do not know each other.
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While South Carolina does not have a state hate crime law, Felkel has been charged under Richland County’s new hate crime ordinance that officials passed in June, as reported by Atlanta Black Star. Felkel’s behavior has naturally raised fear among the Black population living in South Carolina, and calls for the state to have its own hate crime laws.
Talking about the incident, one Richland County resident said, “That man just felt like he could do that, and there was nothing that he felt like that was stopping him from doing that. So I feel like we do need a law or at least more knowledge of this ordinance.”
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Another neighbor said, “It makes me feel uneasy being in this neighborhood. It’s very unfortunate. The fact that things like this are still happening in this day and age makes me kind of feel unsafe, especially having young ones growing up around here.”
As reported by Atlanta Black Star, “A judge set a $1 million cash bond for Felkel’s assault charge, and a $1,075 bond for the hate intimidation charge, which is the maximum allowed.”
It should also be noted that Felkel has denied a public defender and in case he makes the bond amount, he would be put into house arrest before he has to appear in court again in September.
